Blood Secrets
by SykoShadowRose
Summary: Zero's going through some changes and he doesn't feel safe telling anyone about them. Unfortunately, there is someone who he can't really keep it from for long. The vampire he depends on for his sanity.
1. Author's Note

Okay, had some ideas from other stories and my own head, felt compelled to write something. Just as soon as I get my muses sorted so that this story makes some sense. ::: runs off with a butterfly net to catch the muses :::

Note on Bonds in my story. I have read many other stories with Blood Bonds in them (those by Blackened Wing, Clue-sama, and Yumiii to name a few, I've also read some of Yengirl's stuff) and they will most likely have an affect to the way I write my Blood Bonds. But I will also be pulling from Role Plays that I have been in where I have had vampire characters- Vampire: The Masquerade for example.

Also, I'm playing with the Hunters as a whole in this story and thus it will be seriously AU. Wheeee! Be prepared for odd things. Oh by the way, I had thought long ago that the Hunters should have a class in Cross Academy ( I smiled when I read Blackened Wing's fics and found I wasn't the only one who thought so) so if I continue this story long enough expect it to happen one way or another...

Be prepared for many same sex relationships... I've warped things pretty badly. And I mean REALLY badly... There may be gender changing in the future so if that bothers you don't mess with this fic...

Vampire Knight is not mine but I want it badly... On a side note, I don't know all of the nobles' powers so I may be making some of them up, but since this is AU anyways that shouldn't matter too much. This story may move a bit fast (which I seriously dislike as it aggravates me) in some places sorry if I'm not the only one it bothers...

I was actually going to completely scrap this story but I was talked in to keeping it.


	2. Unspoken Questions

I am only reading the manga and only up to volume 6 so I may not get everything right, I do know that Kaname gave Zero his blood to keep him sane and that some incident with Rido cause Ichiru to be fatally injured. I know Zero's twin gave him the last of his blood before he died. I won't be using details from those parts but I will use those two bits of info because I need them. I may make a passing reference to something- I've gotten the impression that Zero was a tortured prisoner of Rido's somehow so that may be thrown in there somewhere too.

A big part of the AU here is that Yuki is actually human in my fic but she is a psychic, which is why her blood is so strong so any part about her being a vampire is here by ignored and disregarded. As I said in Kink Meme 2's summery, that story will be used heavily in this one as I used it to get some things about Hunter society down. It was more so that I could get some situation ideas written where I wouldn't forget it. Plus Zero's new look... I like the idea of him having spikes with more piercings maybe an additional tattoo or so too so that stays... Assume he's already like that here.

**Unspoken Questions**

Zero lay on his bed, staring blankly at his ceiling. His body burned which was nothing new but it wasn't with the usual bloodlust. The tremors wracking his body were intensifying as time went slowly by and there was nothing he could do to stop them. He mused that he should get some of those glow in the dark stars to stick to his ceiling. At least then he'd have something to stare at while he suffered. The silvette rolled on to his side and curled up, trying to ease some of the pain he was feeling as well as to get away from the painfully bright sunlight. His short silver spikes were already soaked with his sweat and his pale skin was flushed a light red with fever. The heat he felt was suffocating in the small room.

Of all the bad things happening to him the teen was grateful it was Saturday morning, so he wouldn't have to worry about patrolling until later today. Maybe he would have recovered by then. He hoped so, or someone might come looking for him and he desperately wanted to avoid anyone who might see him like this. _No one can know. _His mind whispered.

~*O*~

Kaname shifted uncomfortably in bed. His neck was throbbing oddly on the left side where Zero fed from. The vampire wasn't sure what to make of this new feeling. He'd felt things from Zero before through their one way Blood Bond which wasn't unusual given the nature of their bond but this was unlike anything he'd felt before. The pureblood thought of going to the other vampire but decided against it. He knew the taciturn prefect wouldn't want him there or any vampire for that matter. Zero had never been friendly to him especially.

Maybe he should tell Cross or Yuki and they could check on him. The teen wasn't fond of Cross but he put up with him. And there wasn't much Yuki couldn't get out of Zero, but then he'd have to explain how he knew something was wrong and why he cared enough to have him checked on. Kaname sighed and rolled on to his stomach, face buried in his pillow. There was nothing he could do that wouldn't draw attention to both of them, so he settled into as comfortable a position as he could and braced himself to wait out the heat and pain he felt from their bond.

~*O*~

Zero winced and quickly rolled onto his knees, nails clawing the sheets into shreds. Much of the pain was focusing into one point and the fever was reaching a new high. The hunter felt like there was fire in his blood. He knew why, knew what was coming next, and buried his face into his mattress to muffle the scream he also knew would come. Even knowing what was coming he couldn't stop the scream of pain when he heard the rip but at least he'd had enough time to prepare for it The scent of his own blood filled the room. _That'll be a bitch to clean_. Was his last conscious thought before darkness claimed him.

~*O*~

Kaname shot out of bed gasping. He was halfway to the door before his mind caught up with what he was doing. Shoulders slumping the vampire moved to lean against the desk beside him. Braced on his hands, head hanging, the pureblood stopped to think about what had just happened. A surge of pain had shot through their bond at the same time Kaname scented Zero's blood. His first instinct had been to go and check on the other- despite knowing that he'd probably end up facing the barrel of the Bloody Rose. He forced himself to move back to his bed, against his instincts and better judgment.

Why did it bother him so much? A sarcastic snort was his own reply. He knew damn well why it bothered him. At some point he'd begun to feel an affinity for the hunter. At least an affinity was all he was willing to admit to anyways. Anything more and he was putting himself in a place to get hurt. Kaname wasn't ready for that yet, even if he knew he couldn't hide his feelings forever. The hunter still regarded him coldly but had refrained from outright hostility after he'd accepted the fact that Kaname was going to keep him alive and sane whether he wanted it or not. Maybe he could get Zero onto more friendly terms first. Then he could tell the hunter and have his feelings accepted, if not returned. It would be better than outright rejection.

The vampire prince sighed again as he lay sprawled across his bed. He'd see the hunter later, he promised himself. There were some papers he had to deliver to Cross' office and Kaname was likely find the boy on his way there. Contenting himself with that the pureblood tried once again to get some sleep and take advantage of the numbed pain the bond now held. Which actually bothered him more after the intense pain he'd just felt...

~*O*~

Kaname sighed as he tucked away the papers he brought to Cross' personal office. The note left behind by the chairman both apologized and explained that he'd had to leave for an important matter concerning the hunters and asking him to leave the folder in the top drawer of his desk. It said nothing more than that and it wasn't his place to pry into hunter business. The pureblood's steps were slower than normal since he still ached from the episode with Zero's bond to him earlier. Kaname felt like the ache should have left him by now, but when he thought about it- it had been a while since the last time Zero had fed. And by the strength of the scent of his blood earlier, Kaname guessed that he'd been badly injured in some way. That meant that the wounds were more likely to linger and that they were both going to hurt until they were completely healed.

Speaking of Zero, he hadn't seen the boy since... Well, now actually. Kaname blinked as he halted in front of a stunned and blushing hunter.

Zero could have kicked the pureblood from his embarrassment and laughed at the vampire's pain at that point. The bastard was staring at him and Zero was beginning to feel self conscious which wasn't something he was used to feeling. It was just the intense way Kaname's eyes locked onto him that brought out the feeling. He hadn't known anyone else was in Cross' apartment and he'd left the bathroom wearing nothing more than a pair of worn gray cotton pants and the towel he was using to dry his hair. His mostly revealed body was not helping in this case. Why, he wasn't sure- Zero had never really cared who saw him before this. _Damn it! Why is he here? And why is he still staring?_

The silvette had leaped out a window from the Sun Dorms once he woke and cleaned the mess in his room. The rush here without being seen was no problem- he was a trained hunter and dodging humans was nothing compared to vampires. He would have liked to get the blood off him sooner, but showering in the Dorm's public showers covered in blood was obviously a bad idea. He didn't have a suitable lie if someone saw him. So he'd come to the chairman's knowing the man was gone until Sunday afternoon.

Kaname continued to study the pale skin in front of him- seeking out any healing injuries that would explain what he'd felt earlier. Even as he kept focused on his search, he couldn't help but appreciate the veiw he had of the soft skin. He found nothing from this view and automatically shifted to try to look at Zero's back from where he was. Sudden movement brought his attention back to the prefect's face. Once Zero had realized that the vampire in front of him was checking for injuries he'd dropped the towel over his shoulders to cover his back. The wounds back there had not fully healed, which was something the pureblood was sure to question. Zero had a question too:_ How did he know?_

"Our bond woke me this morning." Kaname stated calmly, watching closely for Zero's response. He dropped the towel over his shoulders to hide something. Kaname was quick enough to gather that much, and the move had been pretty obvious. But when it came to Zero, a certain amount of finesse was required.

_Oh, right._ Zero tensed slightly but quickly came up with a reasonable answer. "I tried the tablets again." He lied smoothly. It was doubtful that Kaname would believe it, but he didn't have any solid proof to call him out on the lie. Except of course, the fact that they both knew the tablets had never worked on him and it was silly to keep trying them. At this point he'd rather look silly than tell the truth.

Kaname did indeed know that Zero was lying to him. He'd felt the tablets through Zero back when he was still trying to convince the other to take his blood willingly and that was not what he'd felt earlier. But he was wise enough to tell that the violet eyed boy was not going to answer his questions so he did the only thing he could. "If you tired them again you will need blood to repair the damage..." _Or at least to repair whatever damage had happened earlier that you won't tell me about._

Zero wanted to frown at that. He still wasn't comfortable taking blood from anyone, even if he had resigned himself to the fact that Kaname would feed him when he needed it. Even if it required using force. And he knew he needed it now, they both knew it, so fighting was pointless now. However, his back was still too exposed for his tastes. "Fine. But I need to get a shirt first." He moved to walk by the other and was relieved when Kaname shifted to let him by without comment.

~*O*~

Kaname faced Zero in the room the boy slept in when he stayed at Cross'. The teen now wore a thin white sleeping tank with the cotton pants. The shirt looked to be of the same worn cotton, giving the impression that they were used frequently. The paler vampire approached him gingerly, acting almost as if he were the one about to be bitten instead of the one who was going to be bitting. It would have been amusing to Kaname, if he wasn't working so hard to get Zero used to the act.

The silvette tentatively lifted his hands to rest them on the brunette's shoulders. Kaname tipped his head slightly to help the other out. Since it was a night without classes he was wearing one of his dark button up shirts with a low collar which allowed easier access in this case. Thankfully Zero had gotten a bit gentler with his bitting, though he didn't do much beyond the initial lick to prepare the area before sinking in his fangs.

Kaname gasped when the slightly smaller vampire's fangs pierced his skin. His hands raised to rest on the slender hips so close to his own to steady himself. Part of him wanted to hold the hunter close to him but he didn't dare to. Both because he knew the silvette would react badly to his back being touched and because he just would not react well to the proximity period. Kaname had spent too much time getting Zero comfortable with him to screw it up now.

Zero took what he needed and stepped back after cleaning the area. It took a lot of self control for Kaname not to shiver while Zero cleaned his neck but he managed somehow. The pureblood dropped his hands quickly when the other shifted away, not wanting to make him nervous by holding on even though he desperately wanted to. Zero shyly meet his eyes and looked like he wanted to fidget.

"Thanks Kuran." The hunter meant it, his back was already healing the rest of the way and the residue pain was gone.

"Anytime." Zero could tell by the look in Kaname's eyes that he meant those words too. A slight blush colored his face and with a small soft smile, Kaname left him alone in his room. The pureblood felt much better knowing Zero was well again. The lingering pain he felt from their bond was no longer there, replaced by a sense of peace and tiredness. He figured they both needed to rest now and went back to his room to do just that.

Zero stood for several moments before he shut the door and settled into his bed. It'd been a while since he'd used this room but he didn't feel like going back to his dorm room. Sleep claimed him quickly without any complaint from him.

~*O*~

Okay, first chapter done. Yay! Sorry if the ending was a bit abrupt but I hit a writer's block and wanted to get this posted...


	3. Forever Forgiven

Holy crap! I hadn't expected such a response from people to this story. So many Story Alerts! And no Zero hasn't been raped... I haven't personally found any where Zero's been raped but there have been many where Kaname has been... For the record he's a virgin here and so is Zero. Zero may have been molested through his clothes during his imprisonment but that's as far as the torture will go in that sense. Mostly it's just the typical beat all to hell kinda thing, I don't plan on detailing Zero's torture to much, could change but not for now. Sorry if you have a hard time seeing him with spikes- I think it looks cool. Spikes and long hair are two things I like on guys (complete opposites- go figure ::: rolls eyes :::). As for my other story, Kink Meme 2, which has gotten amazing demands to be continued... I may add more to it, but if I do it won't be any time soon.

For those that like Yuki- don't be upset. She's not a bad guy in my fic she just has a bad moment. For those that don't like Yuki- sorry if you wanted her to play the villain in this.

**Forever Forgiven**

Zero shrugged into his jacket with a yawn. He'd spent a lot of time these last three weeks adjusting to the changes he was going through as well as helping Yuki with her gifts and as a result had not slept much recently. Part of it was that he was beginning to feel paranoid. The hunter could feel Kaname's eyes on him _all_ the time when they were within sight. _Doesn't he have anything else to stare at?_ Surely there must be something better for the pureblood to waste his time on...

But no. The vampire prince watched his every move, and Zero knew it had begun the day of his change. Kaname had known something was going on then but so far he'd not confronted the silvette on it. The male prefect wondered how long this would go on before the pureblood managed to corner him into telling what was happening. He really hoped it wasn't anytime soon. There was one ability he had to perfect quickly or he may not be able to do what he wanted to. If he could do it at all. _Augh!_

Glancing at the clock, the hunter calculated how much time he had before class and figured that if he made a swift jog he'd get there a few minutes before the bell rang. _So much for breakfast..._

~*O*~

Yuki shifted in her seat impatiently waiting for the bell to ring. She knew something was going on and she wanted to know what it was. She'd noticed Kaname watching Zero lately and she wanted to ask her friend what was going on between him and the pureblood. She also wanted to know what was happening to Zero. Yuki had been working with the silvette to strengthen her abilities so that she could learn how to control them. The more they worked on her powers the more aware she became of something changing with him.

The girl had been more than worried at first- the method of her discovery was less than pleasant. The nightmares of Zero she'd previously had sent her running into the boy's dorm in the early morning to check on him. Of course she'd been told not to do such things since she'd nearly caused a panic only to find him perfectly well. It wasn't that she'd gone into the boy's dorm, no one thought anything of it since she and Zero were practically siblings. It was that she'd been emotional enough to scare all the guys in the Dorms.

When the bell finally rang she was relieved to run out of the class room, for once not having the additional classes for being caught asleep in class. She was quick to take her things to her room and start working on her homework. Yuki still had a bit of time before twilight and the girl knew that if she tried to confront Zero he'd first ask her about school work. _So, work first, then duties._ Yuki decided as she settled down to get started. She'd talk to Zero after changeover.

~*O*~

Yuki had always looked forward to changeover because she got to see Kaname. That fact alone made the troubles that came with being a prefect worth it. She loved the fact that she was actively helping to maintain peace between their two races. Just not today. Today she wanted to get the whole thing done with so she could talk with her partner.

Said partner stood across from her, his aura alone keeping the girls from rushing the gates. They were still too afraid of him to cross the invisible barrier he made where he stood. Yuki would have envied his ability to hold them back with nothing like that- if she wasn't so busy trying to keep them back with her arms held out. The gates to the Moon Dorm creaked open and surprisingly, as everyday, the girls behind her took a step back as the Night Class walked out. She was glad for the breather and looked toward the gates like all the other females.

Yuki smiled as she spotted Kaname among his group of nobles coming out of the Moon Dorms. Her smile faltered when she followed his eyes to the form of her broody partner. Part of her desperately wanted to demand then and there what the hell was going on, but she was too shy to confront Kaname in such a way. Zero was another matter, she reminded herself of her plan and tried to calm down before she did something stupid. Just as she was calming herself, one of her unpredictable visions flooded into her mind, making her nearly gasp in shock.

_There were trees all around a clear lake, moonlight raining down through the branches and casting a slight silver glow to the water. Kaname's skin held an ethereal glow to it, making him seem ghost-like in the shadows of the trees. Cradled against him was Zero who was surrounded by a halo of silver-violet light. Kaname tipped Zero's head back and kissed him deeply, the silver hunter responding eagerly and without hesitation._

Hurt and confusion consumed the young girl. _Why would they kiss? They hate each other._ She couldn't count the number of times she'd had to stand between them to prevent bloodshed. Beyond that, how could Zero do that, knowing how much she loved Kaname? Yuki managed to pull a smile back onto her face as Kaname turned to greet her like every other day. She noticed his eyes turn a bit concerned and knew her smile wasn't very convincing. It felt hollow on her face.

"How are you doing today Yuki?" The pureblood asked with sincere worry for her. She'd never had an expression in her eyes like she did now.

"I'm fine, Kaname. Thank you for asking." The female prefect's voice sounded muted, like something inside her had died.

"Maybe you should get some rest..." Kaname suggested to her. He felt the need to look over at Zero again- the vibes he was getting from the boy over his bond were unsettling- but something was wrong with Yuki.

"I will once changeover is done. I promise." Yuki forced her smile to look a little more reassuring. Kaname smiled and gave her a nod before moving on. He wanted to get the changeover finished so that his dear girl could rest. The nobles closest to him hurried as well, noticing something was off about the girl as well.

Zero watched the whole exchange with his own sense of dread. He knew Yuki was up to something from her odd behavior- and that wasn't usually a good thing. The two prefects hurried to chase the Day Class girls off to their Dorm so they could get done with their other duties. Before they could split off for patrols, though, Yuki pulled Zero off into the woods. _**Definitely** a bad sign._ He thought as he let himself be lead away for some distance. Finally, after several minutes of walking, Yuki stopped and rounded on him.

"What did you do to him?" Yuki demanded of her long time friend. The rational, logical part of her mind was telling her to calm down. The vision was still too clear in her mind like a sharp blade cutting into her heart, the pain was too great for that little voice of reason to be heard and her emotions were quickly taking over everything. Zero blinked at her in apparent confusion. He had an idea what she was talking about but he really didn't want to have this talk. Ever. Impatient for an answer Yuki elaborated a bit. "Kaname's been staring at you for three weeks now Zero. What did you do to him?"

The silvette looked to finally understand what his little partner was asking him. Internally he was cringing. _Of course it's too much to ask for her not to notice some thing about Kuran. _Zero scrambled mentally to find a suitable answer that wouldn't reveal everything to his friend. "I don't know what's going on Yuki. Like I care what's going on in that damn vampires head." He leaned against a tree while he spoke.

Yuki grit her teeth. She could tell Zero was lying to her because he wouldn't meet her eyes, looking off into the trees instead, and his voice lacked the proper amount of anger. Struck by the sudden feeling that she had been betrayed by her best friend and jealous of the kiss that she saw- whether it was real or not- Yuki felt the need to lash out at something. More specifically some_one_.

The Artemis Rod was out of it's holster before the thought had even been fully formed to go for it. The first strike hit Zero hard in the ribs, the anti-vampire nature kicking into effect as soon as it connected with his body. The boy fell to the ground, shock and pain clouding his mind. Yuki knew she had little time before he recovered and fought back- she'd been lucky to catch him off guard in the first place- so the second hit came down on his legs with a crack. The third strike connected with his lower back with a snapping sound. She didn't notice his legs stop moving as she lifted the rod again and again, moving her way up his body one strike at a time.

Zero ducked and covered his head before she hit him there. With all the damage he'd taken, he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle a blow to the skull. He didn't have the strength to defend himself, nor did he have the will to hurt Yuki. Even if she was doing this to him- he knew she wasn't in control of her actions anymore than he had been the first time he bit her. They could move past this- as long as he survived anyways...

The Artemis Rod came up again, preparing to come down on the exposed section of the back of Zero's neck. A slew of visions hit her, each lasting only a few seconds. Voices whispered disjointed from the images, overlapping each other as the passed through her mind.

"_Yuki... This boy's parents was killed by a bad vampire. He was the only one who survived. We'll be taking care of him, all right?"_

_The way Zero had looked when he'd first been brought to them, covered in blood._

_How it felt walking in while he was tearing at his own neck. "It feels yucky... I can still feel that woman here..."_

_Her own promise to him. "... You're all right... I'll be with you always... so you'll be all right."_

_How it hurt when he slapped her away. "Don't touch me with the hand you used to touch him!"_

_Him covering her eyes, wanting her to smile for him like she always did._

"_What am I to you?" That one question she could never answer..._

He was special to her. Important, dear. She'd wanted to cherish him. She'd spent so many nights by his bedside, petting his head until he fell asleep to give him comfort. He'd sat outside her door and kept guard when she was sick and Kaname couldn't be there. And she was hurting him. Again. Shizuka's mocking voice came back to her.

"_... You call me cruel... But you're being cruel yourself. Your choices make Zero suffer... Even I can see that."_

Her own voice followed.

"_I... I thought if I was with Zero... Things would be okay. Will he forgive me someday?"_

Zero's rage.

"_Don't take anything more from me!"_

A sob left her throat as realization hit her hard. _Oh god._ What had she done? Her rod hit the ground with a soft thud. Horrified by what she'd done and ashamed for her reaction Yuki dropped to the ground beside the silvette tearing off her ribbon and struggling to get out of her jacket. He needed to drink blood to recover- for what she'd done Yuki was willing to give him everything she had.

Zero had been relieved when the blows stopped landing on his broken body. A soft sigh left him a moment before he heard the sound of her staff hitting the grass. As ridiculous as it seemed the sound of her sob was more painful than being hit with her rod. He was sure he'd made her cry somehow. Ignoring the agony in his protesting body, Zero struggled so he was leaning in a more upright position against the tree he been against earlier. Seeing her shrugging out of her school clothes, he nearly panicked. She couldn't offer her blood now. He was too weak- he could take too much and kill her!

Desperate to stop her before she made the offer he knew he couldn't refuse in his condition, Zero pulled her down to hold her to his chest in a tight hug. The wounded hunter used all the will power he had from denying his vampiric side for years to keep from baring his fangs. He could feel Yuki sobbing against his chest, her tears wetting the front of his clothes. He could hardly make out her apologies through her crying but he understood.

"I'm so... so... s-sorry Zero. Pl-pleas-se let me... help...It's... It's my fault you... you're like this. I was... soo... sooo dumb... Please." Yuki gripped the front of his jacket, her face pressed against his chest. How could she make it up to him?

Zero shook his head and sighed. "It alright Yuki. I don't hate you or anything. I forgive you." If he could be deliberately betrayed by Ichiru and still love and forgive him- he could still love and forgive Yuki for lashing out at him when her emotions overwhelmed her.

"I don't understand how Zero." She hiccuped against his chest.

In her distracted state, Yuki didn't sense the approaching aura, but Zero did. Even injured he'd recognize the vampire who was coming. It didn't surprise him that Kaname had come to investigate the scent of his blood. It was almost comforting to know someone was looking after him. For some reason that bothered him, both that he wasn't surprised and that he was comforted.. He should have been shocked that the pureblood was coming to check on him. It should have bothered him. But it didn't.

Kaname was confused when he came upon the scene in front of him. Yuki and the Artemis Rod were covered in Zero's blood. Zero was holding the sobbing girl against his chest, her neck ribbon and jacket were half off. His first instinct had been to destroy what ever had harmed the hunter, but knowing it was Yuki changed things slightly. Especially when it appeared that the silvette had forgiven her. With a small sigh, Kaname resolved to forgive her as well for whatever reason this had happened. After all, he did love her- even if it wasn't the same way she loved him.

The pureblood stepped forward to help in anyway he could...

~*O*~

I actually have more ready for this but this chapter was turning out really long compared to the other, and I just didn't know where to end it. So I'm ending it here. You will all have to wait for the rest. And again- don't hate Yuki, she's gonna be really nice in the next few chapters...


	4. Breaking Hearts

O.o Whoa! ::: dives for cover ::: Such violent reviews... Look, I said Kaname resolved to forgive Yuki, not that he had forgiven her yet. And yes she does help get them together since she's responsible for Zero turning Kaname away, that happens this chapter. But no you do not get to learn what's going on with Zero yet. I'm keeping that a secret for now. ::: cries and points at zerokanda ::: _She hates me!_ ::: sobs :::

Anyways, Kaname isn't going to exactly be the same blushing virgin Zero will be but he will be a virgin.

**Breaking Hearts**

It had taken a lot of convincing, which hadn't been easy for Kaname. He may have chosen to forgive Yuki for Zero's sake but that didn't mean he had yet. The pureblood wanted the little psychic away from the silvette as soon possible. Away from himself too for that matter. He would forgive her eventually, but at the moment he still wanted to crush her neck for Zero's pain. In the end he'd swore to take care of Zero until the other was fully recovered and Zero'd promised to let him. The silvette had then told her to go straight to the chairman's and clean up. Yuki was still splattered him his blood and that was not safe in a school full of vampires. With one last promise to behave for Kaname, Zero had pushed her hair back behind her ear, his fingertips brushing against her temple.

Now he was in Kaname's arms being carried to the Moon Dorms to rest. It said a lot to Kaname that Zero was allowing him to carry him. Once they made it to the pureblood's rooms, Kaname set Zero gently down on the bed. "I'm going to get somethings to clean you with, I'll be right back." Without waiting for a response the brunette moved into his adjoining bathroom and went under the counter for the medical supplies he kept. He'd never used them before but to maintain a human appearance they had always been kept there. Besides he had learned long ago that Yuki tended to get hurt easily and he'd wanted to be prepared.

Kaname walked back in carrying the medical supplies and some clean towels in one arm while a bowel of warm water was in the other hand. He set them down on the bedside table and sat on the bed next to Zero. The hunter was breathing carefully so he didn't bother his ribs any more than necessary. Before he began to clean the wounds Kaname leaned down over the silvette, placing his neck against Zero's lips. The younger vampire didn't hesitate this time, needing the blood too badly to argue. With a quick lick to numb the area he bit down, trying not to take too quickly or too much. He was feeling much better when he pulled away. Kaname was feeling the effects of the blood loss but knew his priority right now was with the boy in his bed.

Now that Zero had been given the blood he needed to start recovering, Kaname was a little less worried about moving him while he removed the clothes so he could begin wiping away the blood. Zero didn't have it in him to be embarrassed this time. Half-conscious already, he slipped completely away while the pureblood was wrapping his injuries. Even after the hunter was out, the pureblood was gentle with his care. There was no need for the other to suffer more than he already had. Once he'd completed his task Kaname collected some papers from his desk and settled down on the other side of his bed so he could keep an eye on Zero and get some work done at the same time.

~*O*~

Yuki dried her hair slowly, thinking of what she'd done. She'd spent all her time since she left accepting the fact that Kaname didn't return her love in the same way. It was painful to accept but it was past time she did it. Part of her mind scolded herself- she'd always known he was beyond her reach. But still her heart had hoped that there was a chance. She knew there might have been- before the pureblood had fallen for someone else. But she'd been too afraid back then to take the risk. Now, she knew, he truly was beyond her reach.

As much as that hurt her to accept, it freed her as well, and she was able to look back at her vision with a clear mind. Yuki could now see the happiness radiating from the two vampires as they stood together beneath the tree. It worried her, though, that the vision was blurring. The distortion was hardly noticeable, but it was enough for her to tell the difference. Kaname and Zero could be happy, but only if Zero accepted him. The girl got the distinct feeling that she may have taken that happiness away from the two people in her life that deserved it most.

Yuki dressed quickly and settled down into her bed in the chairman's place. She focused her powers on her two friends, seeking out their futures as best she could. Maybe she'd be able to see what happens and how she could fix it._ I have to make amends- it can't end like this. I won't let it..._

~*O*~

Zero jerked awake from his nightmares. He was still disoriented, not yet realizing that he was no longer Rido's prisoner. Pain helped keep him in that mind set and stopped him from moving any further. He fell back on the bed, his eyes closing, confused as to why the stone floor was so soft. Hands brushed over his body and he tried to jerk away, the nightmares and anti-vampire effects of the Artemis Rod stalling him from recognizing who was by him. The hands stop him from moving any more.

"Calm down. Everything's fine now Zero. Just stay still." Kaname's voice broke through his haze and he stilled. Violet eyes opened to blink into focus on the other vampire. Zero's eyes stared at the concerned face above him before shifting down to the pale neck so temptingly close. It was then that he realized his fangs had grown out. He felt ashamed for it, as he usually was when he couldn't control his vampiric nature, and tried to look away. He'd just feed, there was no reason he should need it now.

Kaname spotted the other's fangs through parted lips and understood what the other thought by the expressions in his eyes. The pureblood knew that even though Zero took blood from him last night, he would still need more to fully heal the damage done by Yuki. Without hesitation Kaname slipped a hand beneath Zero's head and lifted the other to his neck. Zero hesitated as he usually did when he was in a situation like this. Eventually he accepted the offer being made, knowing he'd need it to get back on his feet.

When Zero pulled away from cleaning the brunette's neck he became aware of how light it was on the other side of the heavy curtains. Glancing around for a clock Zero noticed that Kaname was in his bed clothes- confirming his belief that it was sometime in the day. Once he spotted a clock on the other nightstand his first thought was that he was late for class. But he brushed that thought off knowing he couldn't attend class in the condition he was in. The second thought that came to him was that Kaname had stayed with him through the night- meaning that he had also missed class. His third- most traitorous thought was that Kaname looked utterly gorgeous sleep rumpled as he was. The hunter slammed the breaks down on that thought before he went further with it and gave himself a mental thrashing for having it in the first place.

Kaname was just as interested in the way Zero looked having just woken up. He, however, saw no need to discontinue his line of thought. He was simply too tired to consider the risk such thoughts would be to his self control. His ached with the desire to reach out and touch the hunter. And he had just the perfect reason to. "Your bandages need changed. Will you allow me to change them?"

"Alright." Zero said quietly. His body was aching badly from the tossing he'd done in his sleep even with Kaname's blood in him. With many of his injuries unhealed, he knew they needed proper cleaning until they were completely done.

Kaname again went through the same pattern of cleaning, medicating, and wrapping Zero's injuries. The pureblood managed to behave himself and not touch too much unnecessarily. He could feel the tenseness in the hunter's muscles, from being cared for or from the nightmares that woke them- he wasn't sure. He was sure that the attack from Yuki had somehow triggered the nightmares and while he dearly wanted to distract the silvette, Kaname wanted even more to know what had happened. "If I ask you what happened between you and Yuki, will you tell me?"

Zero hesitated before a sigh left him. "Yuki had a vision but she didn't handle it very well."

"A vision of what?" Kaname asked while putting the supplies away. He couldn't think of anything that could have possibly upset the girl to such lengths.

Zero blushed and ducked his head when he answered. "She saw us kissing beneath the trees, by a lake at night." He noticed Kaname pause at that bit of information. "She came back to her senses when she had some flashbacks of the past." He didn't mention that he'd been glowing in the vision. It wasn't something he wanted anyone to know and he was hoping Yuki overlooked that fact in her distress.

"She told you this?" Kaname inquired a bit disbelievingly. She hadn't seemed able to form full coherent sentences very well when he'd come to them, and if she'd reacted as badly to the vision as Zero's condition implied she wouldn't have been much in a talking mood before the incident. _But..._

"How else would I know?" Zero replied flippantly, unconsciously saying aloud the pureblood's silent question. Still recovering the silvette laid back down to sleep.

The pureblood was seriously tempted to press the issue but he was still too concerned about the hunter's health to push him right now. Besides he was too tired to do it right now. After all, his sleep had been disturbed. Sighing in defeat, the vampire took his place on the bed by the silvette and drifted off. His last thought before sleep claimed him was that he could easily get used to having the other in his bed with him.

~*O*~

Yuki sat in class awake in body but asleep in mind. Her eyes were dilated as she sought a vision of Zero and Kaname's future. The kiss that had been so painfully clear before had now blurred beyond recognition. She only knew it was the same vision because she'd tried so hard to keep a solid eye on it, but it continued to slip further away. _Oh, no!_ She concentrated harder, trying to find a way to get them together. They just had to be a couple- they would be miserable without each other. Each vision of them apart tore at her- accused her for their pain.

Out of touch with reality, Yuki failed to hear her name being called by the teacher in worry. Yori, in her normal spot beside her friend, looked over in concern that grew at what she saw. Tears were gathered in the petite brunette's eyes and her nose was beginning to bleed. Having been told about the Night Class, Yori knew that Yuki's bleeding could end badly since her blood had a special call to the vampires. The blond reached out and gently shook her friend's shoulder. Yuki turned to look at Yori in a daze.

"Your nose is bleeding." Yori whispered to her quietly. She was vaguely aware of others in the class watching them. Confused, Yuki lifted a hand to her face and blinked down at her bloody fingertips before her sight darkened around the edges. She felt Yori catch her as she fell, blacking out before she could make out what her friend's worried voice was saying to her.

When Yuki next opened her eyes, she saw both Yori and her father by her side. A quick glance told her she was in the infirmary. The psychic sort of remembered passing out in class and recalled one of her lessons with Zero when he told her that if she used her power beyond her limit she'd black out. She hadn't though she'd been pushing herself that hard but then again she hadn't stopped watching the future since she'd destroyed it.

The girl was only faintly aware of the conversation that she had with her father- though she thought she promised to stay with Yori and go straight to bed- before the man finally left to get back to work. Once he was gone the brunette turned to her blond friend. "I ruined everything Yori!"

"Calm down Yuki, tell me what you're talking about first." Yori sat on the bed by her friend and placed an arm around her shoulders. Yuki began to cry as she told the story.

"I beat Zero- because of a vision!" She heard her friend's sharp gasp of surprise. "I hadn't meant to, but I did. I saw him and Kaname kissing and it hurt, so I lashed out at him. And now the vision is gone Yori. I destroyed it! They were so happy and I took that away from them! Please Yori! Help me fix it, they have to be together... Please?"

The blond looked at the broken girl beside her and made up her mind. "I'll help. Don't worry, we'll get them together. We'll make sure they get their happiness." Yori promised fiercely, prompting a teary smile from Yuki. The two sat in the infirmary for over an hour, plotting out their plan to get the two vampires together.

~*O*~

Voices. That was the first thing Zero noticed as he was waking. The second thing he realized was that his senses had returned enough for him to pick up on the one pureblood and three aristocrats in the room. The voice that was speaking he recognized as Takuma's. With a subdued groan the silvette struggled to sit up, finding it much easier to move now. The curtains were open this time, letting the moonlight fall on the four vampires that were now watching him in silence. He suddenly wished he'd just gone back to sleep after recognizing the voice he'd heard. Though now that he was sitting he could see that the other two nobles were the cousins Hanabusa and Akatsuki.

"How are you feeling now?" Kaname finally asked. Zero just shrugged in answer, uncomfortable with three other vampires in the room while he was still weakened. He knew they wouldn't do anything, Kaname was there and they wouldn't dare to upset him. Besides that, even weakened as he was Zero knew he could put up a decent fight after what he'd been through.

"Something up?" The silvette leaned against the head board to get comfortable. The aristocrats looked to the pureblood.

"In a way. Yuki had a nosebleed and passed out in class. Chairman Cross and her friend Sayori stayed with her until she woke. The two girls have been resting in their dorm room since..." The pureblood's voice trailed off as he noticed Zero trying to get up. It annoyed him to no end that the stubborn male was trying to get up so he could go check on the girl that had rendered him unable to even _sit_ properly. He moved over and caught the silvette as his legs gave out. Falling to the floor was not going to help right now. Knowing Zero would not appreciate an audience he subtly dismissed the three blond nobles, who quickly and silently left at his command.

Zero was frustrated that he was still recovering. It gave testament to how badly he'd been injured that he'd been given Kaname's blood twice and still he couldn't stand on his own. Soon though. Very soon he'd be able to move from the bed without aid. He needed to stall until he could leave. "Did they know why she fainted?"

The brunette's body language answered that- lips pursing, eyes narrowing, jaw clenching- even before his tense voice bit out. "No."

Zero wasn't sure if Kaname was upset that they hadn't had an answer, or if he was upset for some other Yuki-related reason. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he was still regaining feeling in his legs- the tingling signaling that they had been used before they were ready was starting to fade. Zero was pretty sure he knew why she'd passed out. The nosebleeds she got were often because of overusing her power. But he didn't want to bring it up- both because he couldn't be positive and because he could only think of one thing she'd be looking for. _Is she still upset about seeing us together?_ He couldn't help but wonder about that.

The hunter cringed internally and braced himself for what he was about to do. Yuki's reaction had shown him that this thing between him and the other could not go further than this. He hesitated though, not wanting to inflict the pain he was going to. And desperately wanting the happiness that had been in the vision. Zero slipped carefully off the bed, a hand on Kaname's shoulder to ensure that he didn't fall again. After a few moments he removed his hand, sure that he could stand now. He took a few tentative steps under the watchful sorrel eyes to test his movement. It was enough for what he wanted to do.

"Kaname..." Zero turned to face the vampire, eyes full of hurt that the other was immediately worried about. "It can't happen. You know that right?" Kaname swallowed but continued to stare at him in confusion. The silvette was sure that he knew what was being said- he just didn't want to hear or accept it. "What Yuki saw can never be. Not now. Not after this." He took one last look at the broken hearted expression on the usually composed Kaname's face and left quickly. If the pureblood gathered himself enough to argue about it Zero knew he'd loose that fight.

The problem was- he wasn't sure he wanted to win...

~*O*~

Okay, I've got pages of notes written for where this is going. I will say that Shirabuki Sara is going to be an antagonist in this story and Ichiru will make a comeback. You'll find out how that happens later. I realize I never really put down what the couples will be other than "many same sex relationships" so I am telling you now in case you disagree and decide to stop reading (I'm begging you not to).

Kuran Kaname x Kiryu Zero

Kain Akatsuki x Aido Hanabusa (I know they're cousins but if a pureblood male can knock up his sister I see no reason a couple cousins can't nail each other!)

Ichijo Takuma x Shiki Senri

Souen Ruka x OMC (Look a het couple!)

Toya Rima x OFC

Kiryu Ichiru x Cross Yuki (Another one!)

Maybe Yagari Toga x Cross Kaien if I feel like it.

There could be others but that's all I have set for now. Feel free to speak your mind on these but since the story is mostly written the first three couples will not change because of it. The others can still be influenced though. I actually had an idea for another VK fic, but I'm going to hold off on it for now.

So Zero breaks his heart and Kaname's by turning him away. Yuki's heart breaks cause she realizes just how badly she screwed up. And Yori's heart breaks because everyone around her has broken hearts. Damn, lots of angst building up here...


	5. Risking Truths

Okay, short chapters means frequent updates! Which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it. My friend arianaSky has not been on recently so I haven't been able to throw this at her for a second opinion. I beta her and she helps me think. It's a fair trade I think. Currently she's working on a cool story called Ketsubou Goshujin Akai Tsuki. Poor Zero gets tortured a bit in her story too- being forced to bare Kaname's children...

As for the matchmaking scheme. I have one in mind but it's not terribly creative or subtle- unfortunately it got stuck in my head and I can't think of a cooler one. But it doesn't matter because with the way the story is written they have to change plans anyways. You might get to find out what they were up to in the story. I have a humor scene in mind for that but it may get brushed aside.

**Risking Truths**

Zero masked his scent and presence as soon as he was out of the pureblood's rooms. He wasn't going back to his own room yet but he didn't want Kaname to come for him now. The hunter-vampire sniffed the air, catching the scent of the ones he wanted and quickly followed the trail to one of the rooms. Giving the door a swift but quiet knock, he was amused by the confused scrambling he heard going on in the room before a shirtless strawberry blond opened the door. "Kain. I need to speak to Aido and you."

"Um, okay..." Akatsuki stepped back to let the silvette enter and quietly closed the door behind him, wondering if it was really a good idea to let the two occupy the same room. They didn't get along well- everyone knew that. Zero was constantly disrespecting the pureblood that Hanabusa held in high regard and that fact caused them to rub each other the wrong way. He looked in concern to his cousin but the blond looked both startled and curious.

"And you wanted to speak to us about...?" It was one of the few times Hanabusa was able to speak to the perfectly in a neutral tone to the other. He decided that he should have been more annoyed. It was going to be daylight damn it, he should be sleeping and Zero was taking up sleep time. But the other had come to them and his curiosity was perked enough that he was at least willing to hear him out.

"Well," Zero stood in front of the smaller vampire who was sitting on his bed with his legs crossed, "I have a problem. You seem like you could be capable of solving it." The blond's pride prick at the insinuation that he might not be up to the challenge. Akatsuki recognized the hook for what it was and smirked internally. The fastest way to get his cousin's help was to tell him he wasn't good enough to do it. Apparently Zero paid enough attention to realize that and the tall blond was wondering what else the prefect had noticed in his observations.

"What problem?" Hanabusa noticed Akatsuki shift by the door and glanced over. His tall cousin was now leaning on the wall by the door, more at ease now that a fight didn't seem imminent. The blue eyes tore themselves away from the reclining form to the one in front of them.

"I can't take the blood tablets. I'm sure you've figured that out. As a result I've had to depend on others for blood. First Yuki insisted on being my donor, but my cravings became too frequent- I was getting too close to falling. So Kaname bared his neck to save her and keep me sane." He heard the gasps from both aristocrats and chose not to interpret them in any way. A gasp could mean a lot of things. "He has been giving me his blood since before the incident with Kuran Rido." There was a wince from all in the room at that name. "I need you to help me come up with a tablet my body will accept so that I'm not directly dependent on anyone. I'd give you a demonstration on how I react to the current tablets but I'm not really up for it."

The two couldn't disagree with that last statement. Zero was swaying slightly on his feet and Akatsuki moved to get him a chair. If Kaname cared enough to give the silvette his blood they could care enough to help him out, right? The amber eyed vampire tried to catch his cousin's blue eyes but it was obvious the other blond was lost in thought. Akatsuki then plopped on the bed beside Hanabusa, startling the other and getting a faint blush with a glare in response. The fire wielder just grinned before Zero's voice sounded again.

"There's not much I can give in return for your help but I can offer to teach you something." Zero leaned back in the chair, relieved to be off his feet. It had taken way to much for his liking to get here and stay standing. He needed the help these two could possibly give him. _Soon!_ His mind screamed, and the vampire was pretty sure his eyes had flashed red. He really needed to know how to control that better, or at least find a way to tell with more certainty what color his eyes were without needed others' reactions. He didn't normal have this much of a problem with it, but his weakened state made him uncertain.

"Sounds cool to me." Akatsuki drawled, noting the flash. "I'm gonna go get some water from the kitchen. Don't maim each other while I'm gone." The tall vampire didn't wait for a response- most likely indignant from his cousin- before he was out the door.

Hanabusa glared at the door his dear cousin had left through. He had the strong desire to go knock his head in for that comment but stayed seated- too tired to pursue the want. Instead he faced down Zero. "I don't think there's anything you could teach me that I'd be interested in, Kiryu." It wasn't that he didn't want to help. The problem was a challenge he was interested in conquering. He was just stating what he saw as truth. Zero's expression quirked in a way he'd never seen before.

"Aido, did you know that hunter's have a charm that allows us to change our gender?" The hunter watch the effect of his words. Blue eyes sharpened on him, much more interested now than they had been a moment ago. _Good, that got his attention..._ "I've noticed the way you look at Kain. I think that charm could be of use to you in the future. It's not anti-vampire in nature so you should be able to pull it off."

Hanabusa wasn't sure which question flying through his head should be asked first. He settled on the least- to him- complicated one. "Why would you have a charm like that?"

Zero straightened in his chair, automatically taking on a more proper pose- as he was taught to do when teaching or receiving a lesson. "Because we live so dangerously, hunters believe that love is important. You should be able to love whoever- within reason of course. But it is imperative that the race not die out, so if a hunter chose a mate of the same sex, they needed a way to have children."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to pair them up with a surrogate parent instead?" Hanabusa leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he listened intently. It seemed more logical to add a third person into the equation than to spend so much time and effort on crafting a charm. The complexities of the charm's creation had to have been incredible.

Zero smiled slightly at the obvious question. "Yes, it would have been easier. But as I said- to us love is important. Sacred, even. And it is to be shared only with your chosen mate. So the only thing we could do was alter ourselves in a way that allowed us to have children with the ones we loved. It's reversible if we choose to go back. But it all depends on what the charmed one wants." He stopped to let that sink in. Once Hanabusa gave a small nod to indicate that he was keeping up Zero went on. "Both my parents were originally men. But our mother decided to remain as a woman. I don't know why, it never occurred to me to ask. We are taught at a young age that physical love of any sort should be reserved for those who are special to us. I have never been kissed- not even by family- because it's believed by my people to be a true sign of love in it's purest form."

"Why?" Hanabusa couldn't help but ask, having been drawn in by this rare look into hunter society. He realized that there was more Zero could teach him that he'd first believed.

"You can have sex without love. But love without at least a kiss is incomplete. A kiss is a silent confession of love to a hunter. When we are growing up, we bump heads- similar to cats and dogs- to show affection in place of a kiss." A faintly defensive blush touched the silvette's cheeks. "We are taught about sex in all it's forms to an extent. Mostly so that we can tell when someone is propositioning us and we can react properly. We aren't raised to be naïve, just pure."

The blond nodded in distraction. This charm could be useful to him in the future- even if Akatsuki didn't return his feelings, he might find another male who did when he got older. "Alright. I'll do it." A relieved smile made Zero's usually stern face look softer, more welcoming. It was odd to see, Hanabusa decided, but not in a bad way.

Zero was extremely relieved that he'd managed to get the blond's help without letting any of his bigger secrets go. He'd shared a lot of information on hunter ideology but if that's what interested the other the most then fine. It was time the hunters started taking a more active role in the peace movement anyways. He'd never believed it was possible for the races to coexist without killing each other but recent changes made him a little more open minded.

The two turned to the door when it opened and Akatsuki walked back in with two bottles of water and another object. Throwing his hands up Hanabusa declared proudly with no small amount of hidden sarcasm. "Look Akatsuki! No damage!" The tall vampire chuckled at his cousin's antics, but was silently glad that the two had made it through without a scratch. He just knew that if something had happened, Kaname would have found a way to blame him for Hanabusa's actions...

"Good to know." Was all he said as he tossed one bottle at Hanabusa and the other object at Zero. Zero automatically caught what came his way. He glared down at the thing in disbelief. _A sippy cup! _"It's the only way for you to drink it without bitting and without the others scenting it at the same time." The amber eyed vampire explained at the look he was given. He understood that Zero wasn't mad at him, he was mad at the situation he was in. As proven by the glare now directed at the poor defenseless cup. But the silvette's temper was well known and he could easily substitute one object of his anger for something else if it relieved the stress.

Zero had no intention of lashing out at the vampire though, so his worry was unnecessary. He could see the fading pink slash on Akatsuki's wrist, telling him what was in the cup even without the explanation. "Thanks Kain." Zero said. He meant it, really he did. He knew he still needed the blood to recover, getting it wasn't easy for him. It meant a lot that the other had given it so willingly and without being asked. But still... _A fucking sippy cup._ He told himself it could have been worse. He could have been tossed a baby bottle.

Bitting back his pride that told him the whole idea was ridiculous the silvette drank from the sippy cup, feeling like a one year old and wondering why the hell there had been one of these in the Moon Dorm's kitchens in the first place. He decided it was probably better not to ask. The blood helped ease the pain he'd felt from moving earlier almost instantly, but that didn't stop him from feeling foolish. To their credit the other two vampires in the room didn't seem inclined to tease him about it even silently.

"So have we decided anything?" Akatsuki inquired after sitting down by his cousin and taking a drink of his own water. The two nodded but it was Hanabusa who spoke up.

"We're going to help Kiryu. I've been interested in seeing if we could perfect the blood tablets anyways. He can be our test subject." The blond said it somewhat dismissively but the two taller vampires weren't fooled. He wanted to figure this out badly, and he'd only listed part of his reason for wanting to.

_Message received._ Zero thought. Hanabusa didn't want Akatsuki to know about the charm he was going to teach him. Made enough sense to the silvette. They would have to work somethings out, such as: how Zero was going to get the blood he needed until they got the right formula, when he was going to give them the lessons he'd offered, and what they wanted to learn from him during those lessons. But he believed they could work things out easily now that the base work had been set.

The hunter realized that he was beginning to drift off to sleep in the chair, which made him feel even more like a child after drinking everything from the sippy cup. _Damn!_ He cursed before shutting down. The two aristocrats knew that his body had shut down to continue the repairs it needed now that it had more blood to use. But they wondered what to do. Finally Akatsuki stood and moved Zero into his bed.

"May I share with you Hana?" The strawberry blond asked after he'd settled the hunter into a comfortable position. The other blond blushed slightly but thankfully his cousin didn't notice. They had shared a bed before so explaining the blush would be a bit difficult if he had noticed. It was just that his talk with Zero was still clear in his mind.

"Yea. I don't mind." Hanabusa shifted over to the wall to give the taller more room and settled down as Akatsuki crawled under the covers next to him. With a wide yawn he thankfully fell asleep quickly. He'd never been good with staying up during the day unless there was something to keep him occupied. Akatsuki's breathing evened out beside him and even in sleep the rhythm of his heart was heard and followed by his own.

~*O*~

Okay, end chapter 4... So, Zero didn't go anywhere and has actually stayed in the Moon Dorm again. He's even made a couple potential friends. Yay!


	6. Keeping Secrets

::: laughs ::: I had written the first page of this when I got the first review for my last chapter. I hadn't expected so many people to love the sippy cup. It makes another appearance in this chapter. In response to some of my reviews, I will hear advice but as I write my stories ahead of time and then type them, I may not always take it. And sorry to one reviewer but it's already been voted that Ichiru will be with Yuki. I had five vote for them and only one against. But if it makes you happy Yuki is not the sole reason Kaname and Zero get together. It's actually a collaboration of most of them helping Kaname bring Zero to his senses.

I did mention in the fist Author's Note that their would be gender changing and many pairings. While Kaname and Zero are the main pairings I don't feel that a story is very well rounded if that's all it contains.

**Keeping Secrets**

The silver vampire hid out in the cousins' room for the next day, thankful that no one ever bothered the two. It was also a relief that no one would have ever thought to look for him in this place. Before changeover Hanabusa had woken early- much to the surprise of the other two in the room- to work on something for Zero. The tall vampires had been a bit lost to wake and find the little blond already up and dressed. "What's up Hana?" Akatsuki asked, yawning sleepily.

"Well, Zero's body is still recovering. It will take another couple days, but he should be able to move to his room or the Chairman's by dawn as long as he stays in bed until then. In the mean time he needs blood to help him along." The blue eyed noble paused long enough to toss the blue cup with the purple lid at the sitting silvette. Zero frowned at the sippy cup but drank anyways. At least it wasn't pink or something. "I've come up with a way to preserve our blood in capsules until we can come up with a working blood tablet." He held up a bottle that was about half full with the liquid filled capsules. "I need Akatsuki's blood to fill it the rest of the way up. I was starting to feel a bit light headed."

"No problem there." Akatsuki said as he got up to dress for class. "But how well will they work?" He looked over at the sullenly drinking Zero. "You can use my bed for as long as you need to. I'll share with him until you feel up to moving." The strawberry blond was sure that while Zero would be capable of moving, he wouldn't want to face the Chairman or Yuki until he was in better condition.

Hanabusa nodded in agreement. "I have thought about that. You'll need two in the morning and two in the afternoon, Zero. So we'll have to make sure you don't run low." He moved out of Akatsuki's way while he finished getting his jacket on. "I went and got some food for you earlier. It's in a mini fridge over there in the corner." He pointed to said corner and picked up his own jacket for school. "And I already checked- Yori will be aiding Yuki with prefect duties since she already knows about us."

Zero was speechless as the blond noble rambled on about how he would have to get copies of the tablet formulas and such so that he could look at the different trials. He also mentioned something about sampling Zero's blood to see how the new tablets they made reacted to him externally. The whole 'study the blood' bit worried Zero, but then he remembered that these two wouldn't be able to tell anything by that alone simply because they wouldn't understand it. With any luck they would shrug off any unusalities they discovered as part of his hunter blood. Which was partly true. Zero came out of his thought when the door closed signaling the departure of the two blonds.

His stomach reminded Zero that he hadn't had anything but blood for more than a day now and he slowly got out of bed to go to the corner Hanabusa had pointed to earlier. Opening it he found mostly fruit and juice with a few other health food stuffs that would give him what he needed in his recovery. Knowing he needed food but not really wanting to eat Zero grabbed one of the bottles of juice and an apple. He went back to the bed, staying up only as long as he had to so he didn't slow the healing process any more than he already had.

~*O*~

Kaname scowled faintly as the teacher rambled on uselessly about human history. Takuma kept giving him worried glances, along with Ruka. Surprisingly Hanabusa wasn't doing the same, instead he seemed lost in thought. Akatsuki seemed distracted as well, giving his cousin sideways glances that the pureblood wasn't sure how to interpret. Senri and Rima had given him a concerned look when he'd first come down the stairs of the Moon Dorms but had left him alone since then. His own mind wandered again, a soft sigh escaping him.

Zero had not been seen since leaving his room and the vampire was worried for the silvette's safety. _And where has he gone? He couldn't have just disappeared into thin air._ Kaname silently seethed about his inability to locate the hunter. How had he even hidden himself so completely? Even if the bond between them was one way, he should have been able to feel the other at least a little. But the bond was numb. Like feeling through layers of cloth. The indistinction of the feelings was both disconcerting and annoying.

Kaname's mood had not been improved when he'd had to pass by Yuki. He was trying to forgive her for Zero's sake, honestly he was. But she was not only the one who had hurt his hunter- she was also the one who had destroyed the budding relationship he'd been so carefully cultivating with Zero. Instead of lashing out at her as he so dearly wanted to, he'd simply ignored her. And he would keep ignoring her until things with Zero were set right. It was just impossible for him to forgive what she'd done when the hunter had rejected Kaname for her sake.

Movement outside the window drew his attention and Kaname looked over as Yuki walked the grounds, her head hung low. _Good_. He thought viciously._ If I have to suffer she should too._ It may have been a vindictive thought but he held not an ounce of regret for the ill will he held for his dear girl. Both of them had taken such good care of her, was it really so bad of them to have some form of happiness that didn't depend on solely her?

He turned back to the front of the room before he did something reckless to her. His thoughts once again drifted to the missing hunter. Really, Zero couldn't have gone far, he'd hardly been able to move on his own. Could he still be in the Moon Dorms? But who would he stay with...? Takuma? He was kind enough to take the teen in. But no, the blond would have told him about it, would have guessed that his mood had something to do with Zero. After all, the prefect had been resting in his bed when they had shown up to tell him about Yuki. But who else would take him in? Most all the vampires in the Academy disliked the silvette's attitude...

~*O*~

Zero woke to the sound of voices again. He nearly panicked but remembered just in time that he was not in his own room. The teen rolled over and sat up, noting that he moved more easily now. Akatsuki and Hanabusa stopped talking to watch him, and again Zero wished he had just gone back to sleep. He hated being the center of attention.

"You look like you're doing much better this morning Zero." Akatsuki's voice was accompanied by a yawn which wasn't surprising since it was late for the two vampires.

"I managed to work on some of the formulas during class." Hanabusa spoke while Zero nodded to his tall cousin. He paused a moment and fixed the other with a torn look. "Kaname-sama is worried about you Kiryu. We haven't said anything, since it's obvious you don't want him finding you but we would like to know what's going on. There's something more to it than you just wanting to be independent."

Zero's head dropped a bit but he knew that these two deserved some explanation. They didn't have to be helping him, but they were. He sighed in defeat... "Yuki had a vision of me and Kuran kissing. She knocked me around while she was emotional and he took me back to his room to recover. Before I came here, I told him that the vision could never happen in reality. I want to be independent both for the freedom of it and to keep from getting closer to him than I already am."

Zero lifted his eyes slightly, while keeping his head down. He didn't sense any fangs being bared or any hostility building but if it was coming he wanted to know. Even if he wasn't really up for it. _Not very encouraging expressions guys... _His first thought had him cringing internally with a silent prayer. _Please don't let this be as bad as it looks..._

~*O*~

Takuma sat in the common room with Senri, Rima, and Ruka. Oddly enough Hanabusa and Akatsuki had rushed off instead of staying with them. That confused the usually cheerful blond. His normal mood was also muted due to his pureblood friend's darkened mood. No one had dared to ask him what was wrong but he figured it had something to do with Zero. The other night blood had hung heavily in the air and though none of them knew who had bleed, he'd seen Zero's condition when he had been in Kaname's room. It wasn't so hard to make the connection. _Maybe that has something to do with the cousins' retreat..._

Senri shifted quietly in his seat by Takuma. "Do we know what's going on?" His head tipped to the side when the Dorm Assistant jump slightly in his seat. Apparently the green eyed noble had been lost in his thoughts. Hopefully thinking of a way to help Kaname.

Ruka gave him a withering glare. Cousin or not, who was he to question their leader? If he wanted them to know he would have said something. Rima just frowned, worried for all of them. Takuma sighed and chose his words carefully. "The blood we scented the other night was Kiryu's. The next day, Yuki fainted in class and when I went to tell Kaname-sama with Aido and Kain, Kiryu was recovering in his bed. The damage looked pretty bad, and was still there so it had to have come from an anti-vampire weapon of some sort. During changeover, Kaname-sama has been ignoring Yuki..." He listed off all the facts, not jumping to any conclusions but there were definite hints to what he thought was going on.

The expressions around him were a range from shocked to intrigued and even denial in Ruka's case. Obviously all of them had similar thoughts. Kaname was worried about Zero and angry with Yuki, but that didn't make any sense to them. The pureblood loved the human and hated the hunter, there had to be something that they were missing...

A crash echoed from upstairs, followed by an angerly cussing voice that they recognized. _What has Aido done now?_ Takuma wondered, rushing up the steps to check on the two. His knock was first answered by more expletives, this time in Akatsuki's voice. There was some quick whispering that he couldn't understand along with some shuffling about before the taller cousin opened the door enough to look out. Takuma frowned in worry. The other aristocrat was blocking the door so he could not enter or see into the room. _Bad sign..._

"Is everything okay here?" It was an obvious question but it didn't reveal any of his inner thoughts.

"Yea, every thing's fine. One of Hanabusa's experiments went off on us. That's all. The room's a bit of a mess right now." Akatsuki thought his explanation was a bit lacking, but he wasn't known for being the one to ramble about details. That was Hanabusa's job, but he had just hinted that the other was busy with something and couldn't come to the door.

Takuma continued to stare in concern. Akatsuki hadn't sounded upset or worried, but he had used the same near bored tone that he, Senri, and Rima were so good at. Giving a small suspicious nod, the shorter blond wished them well and went back down the stairs to the others.

~*O*~

Okay, that's the end of this chapter. Kaz- I'm telling you now, don't start trouble on my story...

So, any guesses on what the crash really was? .


	7. Cat and Mouse

Noooo! My muse! ::: runs off to catch the fickle little bastard :::

Okay, sorry this took so long but as you can see my muse ran off and I've been having trouble catching him. Not much going on in this chapter but you get some fun info about Zero's childhood. Just a little tid bit though.

**Cat and Mouse**

Akatsuki stared down in consternation at the frozen shards of glass and other things. Hanabusa had shattered the vase of roses by his bed, freezing the mess before it hit the floor. It was just as well, none of them would have been able to explain that mess away so easily. At the moment his small cousin was facing the wall by the window. The amber eyes shifted to see the pale silvette sitting tensely on his bed. _Well at least Hana had the sense not to strike him._ He thought in relief. If what Yuki saw was true, then their leader had to have feelings for Zero- doing more damage to the boy after everything he'd already been through would be suicidal.

Hanabusa continued to stare at the wall while he calmed himself. He reminded himself that Zero hadn't had to tell them the truth- or at least anything more than his desire for independence. But he now knew what had been haunting his beloved pureblood. The question he had now was what should he do. Zero spoke up behind him.

"I'm asking you not to tell him I'm here. He can't be with me, in anything more than a friendship at most." His voice was low and pleading, something that caught both blonds' attentions. Akatsuki held off on replying to clean up the mess Hanabusa had left. Hanabusa turned to look at the prefect.

"I will not tell him anything he doesn't ask of me. But I want to know why you're doing this to him." The blond's blue eyes were coldly serious. He wasn't exactly lying to Kaname but he was hiding something he now knew the brunette wanted to know, and that didn't sit well with the noble. Akatsuki gave a slow nod of agreement. He wasn't comfortable with keeping this secret, especially with how things would turn out for them if the pureblood found out.

"I'm not accepted." Zero replied in a tone that suggested that should be obvious. The confused frowns he was facing said it wasn't enough of an answer. Sighing the hunter crossed his legs on the bed and motioned for them both to sit on the end of the bed in front of him. Once they had done so he elaborated. "I'm not accepted by hunters because I am a vampire, something we're taught to distrust and hate from childhood. And worse than that, I'm one they are expecting to fall to Level E. The vampires will never accept me because I am a Level D, and a vampire hunter at that. Besides, us being together made Yuki unhappy." He had other reasons of course, but he wasn't willing to divulge them.

The cousins sat at the end of the bed, both thinking on what they'd heard. Of course Zero made perfect sense, but still... They shared a side glance. It seemed to them that this was going to be more complicated than they'd first thought. Lost on what to do, Akatsuki finished his clean up by tossing the frozen mess out the window before he closed it. Hanabusa went back to his desk, deciding to work more on the tablets. Hopefully Kaname wouldn't find out and be angry, they got into trouble with him often enough...

~*O*~

Zero sat astride Lilly as he ran her across the school grounds checking the territory charms that had been set to warn any vampires or hunters that they were entering neutral grounds. Technically he was supposed to keep her within the gated riding course but he felt they both needed a change of scenery. Besides, it was one of his duties to make sure the charms held and remained undisturbed. He'd spent a total of three days holed up in the cousins room, before spending several more sneaking in and out for the tablet experiments and lessons he was giving them. He'd spent a good deal of time avoiding his fellow prefect, not wanting to talk about what had happened in the forest and it was beginning to wear on him. The silvette needed a break, something to get his mind clear of all the trouble going on in his life. A ride seemed perfect since the horse had been getting restless without him around so often.

But he couldn't out run his thoughts as he wished to. Even when he managed to push Yuki from his mind Kaname took her place. Zero had been careful not to get caught alone with the vampire either. He knew the two had to be able to tell he was purposely avoiding him. It was becoming a sort of game of cat and mouse and he was beginning to wonder how long it would go on before he was caught. He also wondered which would catch him first: Yuki or Kaname?

Noting the time, the teen turned Lilly back towards the school at a relaxed gallop. He still had time before he had to meet Hanabusa for their last lesson on the gender charm. He was actually going to cast it today, while Akatsuki was out with Ruka for some reason or another. This was the final step for the teaching and Zero was nearly as nervous as Hanabusa was. If he failed it could either be because he was a bad teacher or the other was a bad student...

~*O*~

Hanabusa paced the floor in his room, going over all he'd learned from Zero on the charm he was going to attempt to cast today. He had to get this right. He just had to. And it wasn't his pride driving him to such determination. There was something else, but he'd need Zero's help with that. The blond nearly jumped from his skin when a hand dropped on his shoulder. Whirling around, startled blue met amused violet causing the blond to snap back reality.

"Ready?" Zero asked quietly pushing the humor out of his eyes. He checked their clothes, ensuring that they would be able to shift without discomfort. The thing about this particular charm was that the clothing didn't always shift with the body. It took a more drastic transformation to alter clothing. Deeming the clothing suitable he gave a nod for the blond to begin.

Blue eyes closed as Hanabusa gave a small nod, straightening himself and bracing for his task. The first thing he did was draw his energy in as he was taught. Zero had explained early on that this was the first step of any transformation charm because centering the energy allows the caster to form it into the shape they desired and push it out, affecting the body in a mirroring way. He wasn't sure what he would look like as a female, so he didn't try to picture it directly. But he did lock the female shape in mind and pushed that form onto his body.

So focused on his task was Hanabusa that he didn't notice Zero doing the same thing. He opened his eyes when he felt his skin shiver and mold itself into another form- an odd sensation if he'd ever felt one- and was shocked to find himself facing a silver woman. Getting over the shock of the other's appearance he glanced down at his hands. Thinner now, more delicate looking. He felt that way too, all wispy and fragile. He also felt like he was a little off balance- and shorter.

"Am I supposed to feel this breakable?" Hanabusa muttered while taking a tentative step forward. He felt like he was going to break his ankle if he stepped wrong. The blond tried not to be surprised at the sound of his voice. Not quite squeaky but a higher pitch than he was used to coming out.

"It's natural. When you're younger it's less noticeable but the older you are the greater the difference in the body." Zero explained patiently, his voice far gentler than he ever would have made it on his own. "It's still disorienting though." The silvette added as an after thought, frowning at the memories.

"You did this often as a child?" Hanabusa asked, still moving around to get used to the feel of his new body.

"Not exactly. Some hunters naturally have the ability to change gender, along with other things, and we don't always have control of those abilities." He sighed and went to sit on the bed, allowing the other more room to move. "I once went to bed a boy and woke up a girl. Scared the hell out of me. Mom finally got me to calm down enough to help me turn back. I still couldn't control it though. My twin talked me into a dress because he thought it might help." Zero flushed lightly at the admission. He ran a hand through his long silver hair, it was longer than he had thought it would be, reaching all the way down to brush the floor for several more inches. He had a few ideas on what had changed his female form, but he wasn't going to share them.

Hanabusa stifled a giggle at the mental image of a boy Zero in a dress. He needed Zero's help and he wouldn't get that if he angered the prefect. Bitting his lip the blond sat by his companion, moving his long wavy hair out of the way. He now knew why Ruka did that sometimes. She'd sit on it if she didn't move it. "Zero..." Hanabusa paused, it still felt a little odd to use the other's given name but the three of them had gotten over most of their issues during the three days Zero had been locked in their room. "I would like your help with something."

"What's up Hanabusa?" Zero asked turning to his friend. The blue eyes hesitated to look at him, but eventually turned.

"Well, there's an open vampire dance later this week and I need your help learning the girls' dance steps, and I would like you to come with me. I don't care if you go as a boy or a girl." Silver violet eyes blinked in confusion. Of course the hunter knew that an open party meant that any vampire of any level could attend it they desired. But he'd never been to one, only to a couple moderate parties and even then as a monitor not a dancer. It was still an extraordinary request, but Zero needed to get used to his female body as well.

"I'll have to go as a girl. The hunter who's monitoring the party might recognize me other wise. We'll also have to use some other charms to mask our scents. I'll need to hide my hunter aura." Zero began listing off other things they'd need to do for the party. "I'll also need to learn the steps. And I'll need to find something to wear... What will you wear?" He asked suddenly.

Hanabusa shrugged and thought about it. "I was going take us shopping. I know I don't own any dresses, and I'm guessing you don't either. Since it was my idea I will pay for everything."

Zero nodded in agreement. He honestly didn't want the other to pay for him but he knew he'd have to save up for a while to be able to afford the stuff they were likely to be getting. "When do we go?"

"How about now?" Hanabusa responded, smiling. After all, if they got the dresses and stuff now they would have more time to get used to wearing them and learn how to do their hair and make up. Zero had the same silent reasoning as he agreed to the question.

~*O*~

Okay, chapter completed, and I think my muse is cooperating again- for the most part. As I said before I have most of this written out ahead of time but it's just an outline. Typing into an actually story takes time cause I need to bridge all the part together and such. ::: sighs ::: It's still fun though. Well on to the next chapter...


	8. Busted on the Dance Floor

::: smiles ::: I love the support, and I know the chapters are short. But like I said, short chapters usually mean more frequent updates. I type better in short bursts. Sorry if this is a disappointment, but don't give up on me.

Alas, there is no dancing instructor, but there had to have been one in the past for them to have learned in the first place. So maybe that will happen in a flashback or something.

Sorry if it confuses people that I use the term he when in Hanabusa and Zero's point of view, I'll use she when someone else is thinking about them until they find out about their true gender. It's just easier on me that way. Cause they are gonna think of themselves as male even if they are female in body.

**Busted on the Dance Floor...**

Zero yawned as he dropped back onto his bed, back in his natural form. The shopping trip hadn't been too bad and the two had actually had fun. His eyes drifted over to the bags peeking out of his partially open closet. They had chosen to hide the dresses and accessories in his room where no one would find them. The dresses were matched to their coloring- something the store associate they had asked for help had insisted on. She'd enjoyed putting them in countless different dresses of sliver and lavender for Zero and gold and pale blue for Hanabusa. Once they had gotten their dresses the two had gone to get jewelry, that employee had also enjoyed dressing them up. Getting make-up and hair tips had been meet with similar results. Apparently being female hadn't changed the way humans reacted to them.

Now that they had all the things they needed, they had made plans to practice dancing in the dresses. That was going to be a unique experience he was sure. Since neither of them wanted to risk getting caught in public they had decided to try teaching each other. They knew what the girl's steps were but only from a boy's perspective, so if they could lead and let the other follow they could learn what they needed. The two vampires had decided to do it when Akatsuki wasn't around to limit the risk of him walking in on them. The whole thing kind of made him feel like he was doing something dirty by keeping from the tall blond but he understood why Hanabusa didn't want him to find out yet.

The amber eyed noble had been doing well with the fighting lessons he had taken up with Zero. Hanabusa had also joined those, so that Akatsuki wouldn't question what he was learning from the silvette. They were both doing well actually, even if Hanabusa wasn't fond of the manual work- he knew this could be useful in the future. Which was the main reason he subjected himself to the training, even if he complained about the soreness and callouses.

Sighing the silvette got up to change into his sleeping clothes. It was time to rest before he got up the next day for training with the two aristocrats. A small smile touched his face before he fell asleep. It was fun to have a couple friends to spar with. Kind of like when he'd been younger and had been training to be the leader of his own pack of hunters.

Hanabusa's thoughts drifted as he shifted in his bed, not quite ready to get up yet. Soon he and his cousin would be getting up to go meet Zero for their sparring session. Despite the things he complained about he actually enjoyed the lessons. He hadn't been much of a fighter before- which looking back meant he would have been a fairly easy target for enemies. A sigh left him as his thoughts moved onto the other lessons he was getting from Zero.

They still had their dance lessons to work on before the dance. He shifted again to look over at Akatsuki who was still sleeping peacefully. His heart ached for the taller blond but he didn't move over to his bedside as he longed to do. His hand itched to run his fingers though the soft hair. No. He couldn't risk the action- he might get caught. Akatsuki was a light sleeper, unlike him. Still, maybe if he could mask himself well enough and his cousin went to the dance he might get to dance with him. It was a hope he clung to, foolishly perhaps, but it gave him something to work towards.

Hanabusa's mind moved onto another issue. Kaname. The pureblood's mood had not improved much, which made sense. He wanted to talk to Zero but the prefect remained absent from his presence as much as he could. Of course having the object of his desire being right there but still beyond his reach would frustrate the older vampire. But even though he had talked to Zero about it, tried to reason with him that it wouldn't be so bad and maybe Yuki would be okay with it, Zero continued to refuse. The rejection hurt to hear and he wasn't even the one who was being rejected!

Hopelessness clung to him, both for his own seemingly impossible love and for his friend's possible but rejected love. The sounds beside him told him Akatsuki was waking and it was time to face the day. He rolled over and pretended to be asleep as he usually was at this time of day. Hopefully his cousin wouldn't notice anything unusual, even though he didn't think the bright but lazy noble had not picked up on something off with him. At least he hadn't said anything yet..

~*O*~

Kaname stared out his window at the rising sun. He knew he should get up to close the curtains soon, but he just didn't feel up to it. Zero was still avoiding him successfully, and he refused to talk to Yuki until things with the silvette were set right. Right now things did not look good for the brunette girl. Finally growing tired of the brightness he stood and snapped the heavy curtains shut with a quick flick of his wrist. Growling in frustration the pureblood went to bed, needing to rest before he did something reckless.

~*O*~

Zero stood in the shaded clearing with his practice sword, cooling down while he waited for the two vampires to catch their breath. The spar had left him feeling tired in a good way. Not far to the side Hanabusa sat against a tree truck, pouting about the hit he'd taken from Akatsuki across his rear. Said cousin was laying in the grass beside him. The tall vampire propped himself up on his elbows.

"You guys know there's a dance coming up in a couple days. We finally got Kaname-sama to agree to go. I don't know how Ichijo got him to do that considering how much he hates the attention. I was wondering if you guys would come with us..." Akatsuki looked between his two friends, wondering at the look they shared before Hanabusa turned to him while Zero went back to his exercises.

"We have plans that night Akatsuki. There's a project we've been planing on trying..." Hanabusa kept his nervousness well concealed. The original plan _did_ _not_ include the rest of the group being at the party. Well, except maybe his cousin. Which brought another question to mind. "Are you taking someone?"

"No, not really. We're all going as a group." Akatsuki gave a thoughtful pause before he smirked. "Well, I'm not too sure on that. I think Ichijo managed to get Shiki to go as a date for him. Unofficially." That got a couple raise eyebrows and he chuckled.

"Ah, well good for him then." Zero said since Hanabusa seemed temporarily stunned into silent relief. At least the blond wasn't gaping or anything. He just seemed contemplative. That was good for him.

It wasn't long before the three went their separate ways, two thinking of how eventful the dance was going to be and one thinking of how disappointing it would be without his friends.

~*O*~

Zero zipped the back of Hanabusa's dress up, the pale blue of the dress matching his eyes perfectly. The gold trim vines fit well with his hair, which was now bundled up a sort of bun cage that matched both the necklace and earrings. He was still considering letting the piercings close once the dance was done with so he wouldn't have to explain the earrings to anyone. There were crystals dangling from the cage around his hair, catching the light and sending multicolored sparkles across her skin.

Zero was already in his silver and lavender dress, the corset hugging his body tightly. The layers shifted as he moved over to grab the veil sash he had with the dress. His own silver hair was only partially up, kept in place by silver vines with amethyst roses adorning the headdress. It was more fancy than anything he would have normally chosen but he'd liked it more than any of the other choices. The remaining part of his hair hung down to his lower back, curled slightly for effect. His earrings had been traded in for something more feminine looking, and a heart shaped purple quartz hung around his neck on a lavender ribbon.

Light make-up had been added to accentuate their faces and charms had been cast to mask their scents, perfume added to cover it further. The two hurriedly left the room, going down to the car that had been called earlier to take them to the dance hall. They were going to arrive a little late but they would still have time to enjoy themselves if they hurried.

~*O*~

Kaname sulked silently in a corner as he watched his cousin dance with his best friend. How the blond had convinced him this could be fun he'd never know. Thankfully Akatsuki stayed by his side, so he wasn't sulking alone. Somewhere around Rima had dragged Ruka off to entertain themselves, probably at others' expenses. Not that he could blame them at this point. A small commotion by the entrance caught his attention and he looked over to see two beautiful women arriving late at the party. The shift to his side told him Akatsuki had noticed as well. He watched them as they moved easily through the room, dancing and talking with those that approached.

It wasn't so extraordinary really, most of the women here were beautiful, but something stood out about these two. For one the coloring of the taller woman caught him attention. She was paler than the other vampires, silver hair dropping past her shoulders. Her hair shinned in the pale lights, but it was her eyes that had his focus. A very particular shade of silver violet that he'd only ever seen on one face. The blond girl at her side also had outstanding eyes in their shade for he'd seen them often. But these were women, not the men he knew so well. So why did they look so similar. Perhaps the silver woman was a relative of Shizuka, there was certainly a faint resemblance between them. The other could be a distant cousin of Hanabusa's.

"Something interest you?" Akatsuki's voice broke into his speculations. He gave the blond a sidelong glance.

"The two who just came in. The blond looks like she could be Aido's twin. The other has the same eyes as Kiryu, and looks like she could be Shizuka's little sister. If she'd had any direct family left alive." He watched as the two accepted dances from two hopeful males. He guessed them to be low level aristocrats or high common vampires. The pureblood felt a wave of jealously he didn't understand. He didn't even know the woman.

Akatsuki silently agreed to those statements and quietly excused himself. His friend gave a soft excusal, letting him make his way towards the blond woman who was currently being traded to another hopeful male dancer.

~*O*~

Hanabusa smiled pleasantly as he was passed along from one dancer to the next, each trying to get his attention for more than a few moments. The practice had paid off and he didn't miss a beat as he moved from partner to partner. Glancing around he saw Zero in a similar situation. The silvette tossed him a worried look before mouthing an apology and nodding to the door. Hanabusa gave a confused look in answer. They had only been there for a couple hours by now and he didn't see any reason for him to leave so suddenly.

Noticing the expression, Zero separated from his current dance partner and pointed behind Hanabusa before quickly scurrying off. Hanabusa felt his chest tighten in anxiousness before he turned slowly, finding himself face to chest with a rather familiar smelling vampire. Shy blue eyes raised to meet intense amber and the small blond felt his face heat slightly as he was pulled into the other's arms for a dance. Okay, so maybe his foolish little hope hadn't been so foolish.

"So what's your name?" Akatsuki asked the blushing beauty in his arms. Technically it was rude to ask without introducing yourself first but he didn't care at the moment.

"Asahi Tereya." Hanabusa whispered, trying not to stutter. A small swell of pride caused his lips to twitch into a faint smile. _Ha! Didn't stutter._ Hanabusa exalted silently. He struggled not to stumble when Akatsuki twirled him- he'd not gotten used to that part in the dancing lessons- and ended up landing against the taller vampire's chest. He flushed again at the chuckle over his head, tipping his head back to offer a weak glare. "And you are?" It was an unnecessary question but he had to act like he didn't already know.

"Kain Akatsuki." His voice was still amused at the near stumble the girl had just had. "Don't dance much do you?"

"No, my sister and I do not usually attend dances, we're just visiting the area." The music changed but Akatsuki's grip on him didn't loosen. No one approached either- which had a reason. Akatsuki was well known as a close friend of a pureblood and a high ranking noble, taking a dancing partner from him was not a good move to make when it appeared he was interested in her.

"Oh, where are you from then? You look an awful lot like a cousin of mine." Akatsuki's head tipped to the side as he took a closer look at the woman in his arms. It was now obvious that the shade of her eyes matched Hanabusa's exactly. His amber eyes dropped down to her neck, peeking through the gaps of her necklace for a faded scar he knew Ruka had put on Hanabusa ages ago.

"Oh, we come from another country." Hanabusa said quickly. They hadn't really decided which they were gonna come from so he didn't have an answer ready for that question. He quickly began looking for a way to get away from his cousin before the perceptive bastard figured out the truth. The grip on him shifted suddenly, one arm around his waist leading him off to the side wall, and he realized he must have been too obvious in his desire to escape.

"You know Miss Asahi, you have a scar that matches my cousin's exactly. He got his from a friend of ours." Akatsuki lead the small blond over to were he'd been standing with Kaname. The other tensed and began pulling more insistently, showing that she'd spotted the pureblood as well.

Hanabusa swallowed his panic when he heard Akatsuki mention his scar, no one else knew he had it because of how faint it was- not even Ruka who had caused it. However, he couldn't not panic when he realized he was being lead to Kaname. _Oh no!_

~*O*~

Okay, I'm stopping here cause I'm evil. ::: laughs ::: Oh, there are reference pics for the dresses Hanabusa and Zero are wearing, so go check them out if you want.


	9. Scarlet Letter

Damn, first my muse runs away _from_ me, now he runs away _with_ me... ::: sweatdrop ::: For those who don't know, "scarlet letter" is a term for a letter bearing bad news.

**Scarlet Letter**

Hanabusa stood nervously, surrounded by aristocrats and a single pureblood. Said vampires were all extremely amused by their expressions and the blond was blushing horribly from all the attention. Silently cursing his cousin for dragging him to the group and hinting at who he really was, the blond still couldn't bring himself to actually hate his cousin. He was also sure the other would do something so he couldn't stay made at him either. He couldn't even bring himself to be mad at Zero, who had rushed out of the party. The silvette had tried to warn him in time to get away but Hanabusa hadn't understood quickly enough. Besides the blond knew how hard the other had been working to avoid Kaname.

"So, how long have you and Kiryu been playing dress up?" Ruka asked, in his opinion, rather snidely. The look in her eyes told him she may very well be jealous and he nearly smirked. But then he remembered that he was in a dress in front of his friends and strangers.

"Well, he offered to teach me some transformation charms and this is the one we chose to practice. It's the easiest he said, because you are changing the gender, not the whole form." Hanabusa responded, tilting his chin up defiantly at her. "We hadn't expected any of you to come to the dance when we planned this a week ago. So far we've done good to keep strangers from suspecting the truth. Akatsuki and Kaname-sama were the first to voice their suspicions. No one else noticed." Ruka bristled, looking ready to issue a sharp retort to the hint that she hadn't caught the resemblance between Hanabusa's female form and his natural form. Her eyes went wide, along with Hanabusa's, when an arm slipped securely around his waist.

"So this is why you wouldn't come with us to the dance. And of course no one would have noticed. Your beauty distracts them too much to think." Akatsuki leaned down to speak into his cousin's ear, smirking at the blush and goosebumps he caused on the fair skin. "And Zero wasn't too bad either." He added, unable to deny beauty when he saw it. The rest of the group gave a start and looked over in surprise at him.

"Zero?" Takuma repeated in a curious tone. The cousins suddenly looked like they had been caught committing a crime.

"Well, Zero stayed with us for a few days and in exchange for our help in making a blood tablet his body can tolerate offered to teach us some things. In the mean time we made capsules filled with our blood for him to take to fight back the bloodlust. With all the time we've been spending together we stopped using our family names a while ago." Hanabusa spoke up quickly to defend his cousin. There was a subtle shift in the air that told them Kaname's mood had changed.

The pureblood's heart broke a bit at the news that Zero was going to these two for his needs. He fought back the pain of it though, the hunter had never liked the idea of bitting anyone so it made sense for him to find another way. Still...

"Kaname-sama..." Hanabusa hesitated, knowing he had a habit of saying more that the pureblood preferred for him too and not liking what he was about to offer. "Do you want us to stop what we are doing?"

Hanabusa was greatly relieved that the pureblood shook his head. It was with an air of sadness but at least he wanted Zero to get the help he asked for. Akatsuki was equally relieved, but it was time to remind his cousin of his situation. The small blond flamed red and squeaked when the hand around his waist began to shift towards his rear. Both hands flew to stop the other from reaching his goal and he twisted his head to glare fiercely at his shameless cousin. Giving his friends a wink and his little partner a wicked smirk, the tall vampire dragged Hanabusa back onto the dance floor for the rest of the night.

Kaname took a drink from his glass to hide his amused smile at the look on Ruka's face. Takuma and Senri had nothing to hide with, so they too went back to dancing, quietly chatting about how the two had looked as girls and how much fun Akatsuki seemed to be having at Hanabusa's expense. He was sure Hanabusa was going to hear about this from their little group for a long while. Zero was sure to hear about it from Akatsuki at least. A quiet giggle beside him signaled that Rima was just as amused, she giggled a second time when Ruka stormed off.

~*O*~

Zero sighed as he tucked his dress away in the closet. He felt bad for leaving his friend behind but he just couldn't risk a confrontation with the pureblood in the middle of the dance floor. He knew the stubborn brunette would have sought him out and cornered him. Their game of cat and mouse was winding down to a close, the vampire was getting too frustrated for it to go on much longer. Sighing, the silvette put on his sleep clothes and cleaned his face of the make-up before shifting back to his normal body. The teen changed out his earrings and settled down to sleep, pushing out the thoughts of the dance. At least it seemed like Hanabusa had gotten to dance with Akatsuki like he'd wanted. Hoping for the best for his friends Zero drifted off, resolving to ask what had happened tomorrow.

~*O*~

Zero walked to the Chairman's office after patrol, yawning on the way in the early night breeze. It had been a couple days since the dance and his sleep had been less than peaceful since then. His dreams had been filled with visions of the vampire prince and the kiss Yuki had seen weeks ago. The kiss he had told the other could never happen. The kiss that his whole body ached for. The prefect rubbed a hand over his eyes. He shouldn't be thinking of it, that only made things worse.

Knocking on Cross' door, he entered without waiting for a reply, too tired to care how rude it would seem. The chairman looked up and smiled, seeming not put off at all by Zero's behavior, but their was something in his eyes that gave the silvette pause.

"What's going on Chairman?" Zero asked, coming to stand warily in front of the desk he'd broke on many occasions.

"Well..." Cross hesitated, gaging the young hunter's mood. Finding himself facing trouble in nearly every avenue of approach he decided to be direct about it. "The Association has sent a message for you. They have decided that you need to take a mate and carry on your family's line, before you fall to Level E." He held out the envelope that had been given to him to pass on. The teen before him glared but accepted the paper. "You know, you could tell them you're stable..." He didn't have the chance to complete the thought before the door slammed behind the leaving boy.

~*O*~

Zero stalked the paths in the woods, not caring which direction he was going at the moment. He was pissed- period. How could they do this? Every hunter knew what love meant to their kind, how could they force him into something like this? The message was crumpled into his clenched fist as he moved distractedly through the trees. Glaring at the ground before his feet, not paying attention to anything, Zero didn't notice the group of familiar vampires he was about to walk into until one of them spoke.

"Hey Zero. What's up?" Akatsuki called to the obviously pissed hunter. Around him were the other nobles and their pureblood leader. It was again Takuma's fault- he'd somehow gotten them all out on a picnic kind of thing, saying that they all needed to get out and relax.

"Sit with us and talk." Hanabusa insisted when the silver violet eyes blinked at them as if debating walking away. He scooted closer to his cousin to make room for his friend, giving Zero a concerned but stern look that suggested that his words had been more than an offer. Sighing, Zero plopped down and handed the small blond the message before turning to the other vampires.

"Hey. How's everyone doing?" He asked, just to make small talk while Hanabusa read with Akatsuki reading over his shoulder.

"Oh, it hasn't been too bad." Takuma spoke up cheerfully. "I just thought everyone could use a break from school and other things."

"Actually I think he just wanted to get Shiki out on a date of some sort." Rima chimed playfully, smirking when her friend blushed faintly, along with the Dorm Assistant. Kaname chuckled, meeting Zero's amused eyes briefly before the amethyst eyes dropped away from his.

"That's not true!" Takuma insisted, jumping when Hanabusa screeched in shocked horror. All eyes turned to the blond cousins, Akatsuki's jaw open in protest to what ever was on the paper and Hanabusa looking as if he was ready to strangle someone.

"Can they do this! You said hunters believe love to be sacred and now they want you to pick a mate spur of the moment to have children with?" The paper in his hands froze over and broke into pieces when his grip tightened. Zero gave a bitter laugh.

"As far as they know I'm going to fall to Level E. They can't afford to let my family die out, so since I'm a vampire it doesn't matter if I love my mate or not." He snorted and pursed his lips. Part of him wanted to cry from the rage and frustration, from the utter hopelessness that was threatening to consume him. No, he wouldn't cry, he would find a way to beat this...

"It doesn't specify that it has to be a hunter?" Hanabusa thought out loud, ignoring the eyes that were now on him. His blue eyes lifted to meet Zero's suspicious gaze, the hunter thought he was going to hint that he should pick Kaname, but the blond knew he wouldn't so he choose someone else. "What if you took me as your mate?"

Zero's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He knew that Hanabusa loved Akatsuki, so he understood the sacrifice his friend was willing to make to help him. Glancing around he noticed the shocked looks on the other vampires faces, other emotions there as well under the shock. Ruka seemed slightly horrified at the idea. Rima actually seemed interested. Senri's head was tipped to the side, looking bored by Takuma who looked confused. His eyes landed on Kaname, who looked stricken, and Akatsuki, who looked torn.

Takuma who was sitting on Kaname's side opposite Akatsuki felt the slight shift in the pureblood's mood that told him he was upset. Akatsuki waited anxiously for Zero's answer to his cousin. While he wanted to help the hunter- he really didn't like the idea of the two being mates. He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much, but his mind reminded him what it had felt like to hold Hanabusa in his arms at the dance. Shaking his head slightly Akatsuki concluded he'd have to think on it later and focused on what was going on.

"No, we'll hold off on that as a last resort. Okay Hana?" Zero asked, his voice soft. He really did appreciate the offer but he didn't want to take away his friend's chance at love. Not when there were other options for him to try first.

This time the relief in Kaname's aura was more noticeable but still only Takuma noticed. The others too focused on the two who were talking, and Akatsuki immersed in his own relief as Hanabusa agreed to Zero's compromise. Thinking of the pureblood's moods when Zero was around, Takuma easily figured out how his brunette friend felt but it seemed like it was time to change the subject.

"So you both looked beautiful at the dance. Where did you get the dresses?" He could have chuckled at the twin blushes on their faces. _Distraction successful._ He thought smugly as everyone eagerly jumped at the chance to tease the two.

~*O*~

Yay! Another chapter done... Next chapter you all get to find out what's going on with Zero. Whee! But be warned there will be _a lot_ of talking to get everything explained.


	10. Revealing Secrets

Yep, Zero has wings. That all gets explained here. And the vampires were out at night, Zero hadn't just woken up from sleep, he was walking on patrol trying to stay awake when he was told to go to the Chairman's office. Sorry for the confusion. This scene takes place late night/early morning...

And Hanabusa got busted so fast because Akatsuki is smarter than most give him credit for.

**Revealing Secrets**

Zero was drifting, on the verge of sleep but not quite there yet. It was an odd place to be, where your body felt fuzzy and your mind registered what was going on but turned it into something else as it prepared to dream. He was jerked from his near sleep when an aura crept into his room. He was torn between groaning in despair at being caught and growling in frustration at being kept from his sleep. _Damn pureblood._

Kaname stood against the wall staring at the figure on the bed, waiting for the hunter to acknowledge him. He'd snuck out of the Moon Dorms as soon as he'd felt all the nobles settle down in their rooms. He needed to talk to Zero. It was important to let the other know just how much he cared. Kaname couldn't bring himself to stand by idle while the one he loved was forced into an unwanted relationship. Finally Zero turned to face him. "We have to talk Zero."

"I don't know what you're talking about... Kaname." It was strange to say his name, he'd always referred to the pureblood as Kuran. But twice now the other had called him Zero instead of Kiryu. The pureblood raised an eyebrow at him and took a step closer.

Zero moved off the bed, angling so he could make a dive for his window and hopefully get away from the vampire. Kaname noticed his intent though, and lunged before he could make his move. The struggle that ensued was quick and silent, ending with them both on the bed. Zero's side was pressed against the pureblood's front, strong arms wrapped around him to keep him in place. They faced each other, one glaring despite his blush, the other calm despite their position.

"What's going on Zero? That night weeks ago, you were in too much pain for it to be the kind the tablets induce. You hid something on your back from me as well. After Yuki's attack you found a way to block the blood bond between us. And now the Hunter's Association is worried about loosing your family's power." The wine eyes held firm against the silent denial, refusing to back down this time. He wanted answers and he wanted them _now_ damn it! It was past time they stopped tiptoeing around.

Zero's eyes closed briefly in defeat before he opened them and took a deep breath. "The hunters are their own race, same as vampires. While vampires have purebloods, hunters have truebloods. My family is one of the remaining trueblood lines. The difference is that our classes are not so strictly enforced. Yes we have truebloods at the top, our own version of nobles beneath them and common hunter below that. There are those that could be compared to ex-humans. Usually those are the ones that survived a vampire attack but lost a loved one and want revenge against your race.

"We are also separated in a similar fashion. Vampires as a whole are made of clans, within the clans are courts, such as the Night Class is to you, at the top of the court are the cohorts who are loyal to the leader of the court, you in this case, called a halo- of all things." He grumbled the last part, hardly believing the vampires' gall of naming their leaders after something so holy. "The halo is a pureblood if there is one available.

"Hunters as a race are broken into tribes, which consist of many packs. The packs are lead by alphas, usually truebloods, who choose a group of our own cohorts that we call a shield." Zero paused, allowing Kaname to absorb everything. Most of this he already knew as he was a vampire himself but he waited patiently, knowing Zero was building up to something he didn't know.

"Back when our races were at war the truebloods were often used as pureblood assassins since we were the only hunters able to take one on in a fight and stand a chance of living. Because we played that role, truebloods were the focus of any vampires counter attacks. In order to protect our families we came up with a Sealing Ritual, to disguise our truebloods as more normal hunters. An Awakening Ritual was used to remove the seal and restore our power. After several generations our bodies picked it up as a natural defense and we were born as average hunters, the Awakening happening when we were older. Sometimes it can happen earlier if it's triggered in some way.

"My Awakening actually started when Shizuka attacked my family, but since she bit me my body was already going through one transformation and could not go through a second at the same time. Once I took her blood from Ichiru and was stabilized as a full fledged vampire, the transformation was complete and my Awakening began. But because I had her blood in me when my Awakening began I am not just a trueblood hunter of the Kiryu family. I am also a pureblood vampire of the Hio line, the Awakening burns away all impurities in the body. Two complete genetic codes in one body at the same time. I don't know how that's possible..." Zero trailed off, looking at Kaname to see his reaction.

The brunette seemed a little lost, trying to take in everything but there was a little spark of mischief that had Zero on edge and brought something else to mind. "The Hio blood is most obvious when I shift into a female. Since my male form is already fixed it had no way of influencing it, but the form I used at the party can be altered since it isn't as set. I thought you would have come after me at the dance.." He trailed off, seeing the smirk on the vampire's face.

"Which is exactly why I didn't." Kaname smiled at the confused look he was given. "If I had persused you as you thought I would, you would have had several escape plans in place to avoid the confrontation. By waiting a few days, I have managed to catch you with your guard lowered enough to be trapped."

Zero glowered, shifting in the restraining grip to test the strength. He could break free but it would cause a mess and a whole lot of noise. "I want to do something. But I don't know if it will work. Attempting it will either drain me or possibly kill me."

Kaname wasn't pleased by that message and let it show on his face. "What are you up to Zero?" His voice was slightly colder, signaling his displeasure.

"I want to bring Ichiru back to life. It's a natural trueblood ability to move death from one place to another. I've kept his body in good condition, so if I get good enough at it and find a place in the woods with enough plant life, I can exchange the plants' lives for his. Essentially anyways." He watched as the frown on Kaname's face became twisted slightly. That wasn't a well know ability he'd just revealed, since letting the vampires know would have meant being hunted down themselves even more.

"And this is dangerous to you because?" Kaname prompted, keeping his other thoughts to himself. It was beyond believable how the hunter could have forgiven his twin enough to risk his life to bring him back. But that was who Zero was...

"Well, too much death can overwhelm a trueblood and kill them. As long as I'm careful about how I do it I should be fine though." Zero explained, worried the other may try something to stop him.

"I believe you will succeed." He smirked. "You are too stubborn to let even death defeat you. But will Ichiru be the same as you are?"

Zero held back a chuckle at Kaname's response. Really he should have seen something like that coming. "No. He will be just a trueblood hunter since he was never turned into a vampire. He did have her pure blood in him but he was never bitten. There is a difference when it comes to the Awakening."

Kaname let Zero go and stood. "Alright. I will leave you to sleep then. And no more avoiding me." Kaname gave the prefect a stern look, receiving a scowl before he left quietly the same way he came.

~*O*~

Yay! The secret is out now. Next chapter!


	11. Change Of Plans

Yea, lots of updates. My muse is being friendly. So as long as he's a good boy, you'll get lots of chapters.

And don't worry kanze4ever. I have thought of all that already, it will get explained eventually. If there's anything you should have learned from me it's that all things happen for a reason in my fic. Well, almost all anyways. And I'm not discouraged. All the points you made just shows you are thinking about the story and that you care about what's going on. Short simple answer would be "everything has a reason, and it will be explained in time." I will answer one now question though because I'm not sure if it will come up in explanation in the story...

"3. zero said ichiru will also turn into a trueblood. then y the sibling rivalry? dat would mean he is equal to zero, not weaker."- There wasn't really a rivalry portrayed in the flashbacks from what I've seen, but Zero was favored because it was believed that Ichiru wouldn't survive to adulthood as far as I can tell, and that's what I'm going with here.

But keep up with the questions and such. You might think of something I haven't yet.

**Change Of Plans**

Yuki stood in front of Zero's dorm room, debating whether she should knock and give him the chance to escape or just barge in while he's sleeping. Determined to finally talk to him, the girl crept into the room over to where her friend still rested on his stomach. This wasn't the first time she'd tried to approach him but he'd always managed to avoid her and the subject. Truth be told she was surprised she'd been able to get this close without him fleeing. But it was time to talk and he was just going to have to deal with it. Besides, she wanted to know why the kiss vision had gotten just a tad bit clearer.

Zero woke to prodding in his side. His first reaction was to swat it away, but the damn thing persisted and he had to wake up enough to wonder what was poking him in the first place. That question woke him the rest of the way and he turned on his side to see who was there. A sudden curse crossed his mind for all brunettes who sneak into his room unnoticed without letting him get away. "What?"

"Zero, I want to talk to you about what I did." Yuki said, sitting on the edge of his bed. Zero's attitude didn't bother her, she'd gotten used to it years ago.

"What about it?" Zero asked, sitting up and scooting to lean against the head board.

"Well, I never got to tell you what caused me to act like that..." She stopped when she saw Zero put his hands up. "What?"

"I already know what you saw Yuki. I'm a hunter remember? I have some powers of my own." His hand reached up to brush her temple. "I pushed your hair back that night, to touch you temple and see what you saw. How do you think I teach you about your psychic abilities without having a few of my own?" He smiled at her blank look. That look suddenly became a pout.

"Then don't you know that I'm okay with it now?" She was slightly irked that he had picked thoughts out of her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to hold it against him. He had forgiven her for what was possibly the biggest crime she'd ever commit in her life, anything he wanted from her that she could give was his.

"It's not only that Yuki. It's the whole political aspect of it. It causes too much trouble." Zero ran a hand trough his spikes, staring at the sheets instead of his companion. Yuki shook her head sadly and leaned in for a hug. His arms wrapped around her comfortingly when she felt a familiar pulse in her head. She saw Kaname and Zero together on this bed talking. She held on for a few moments, listening to what they were saying before she pulled back and smiled.

"I'll see you later Zero." Yuki hopped up and ran out, pulling the door closed behind her. She needed to find Yori. They had to change their plan.

~*O*~

Yori stared at the looming Moon Dorm with a nervous Yuki by her side. Not even an hour ago the little brunette had pounced her in their room, rambling on about truebloods and purebloods and changing the plan. It had been surprising to say the least. Once Yuki had mentioned her first – mostly hopeless- plan they hadn't been able to get it out of their heads to think of a more effective one. So now that she'd gotten her friend to calm down enough to explain what she was saying they were here. Yuki's new plan required the aid of Kaname and his cohorts.

Getting into the dorm was easier than she thought it would be, the watchman apparently knew Yuki well enough to let her by. It seemed out of place for them to go get the vampires during the _day_ but her friend was adamant that this be done quickly. It still seemed like a bad idea to Yori to go wake them up, but she did want to get this done with so the sooner the better she supposed.

The two quietly walked into the dorm and up the stairs. Standing before the double doors to Kaname's rooms the two felt the urge to turn tail and run. The pureblood had been subtly cold toward Yuki since her attack on Zero and the idea of facing him gave her chills. With the smaller brunette getting cold feet, Yori was left with the undersireable job of being the one to knock. Hesitantly stepping forward the girl nearly jumped from her skin when the door swung open and a blond vampire gave her a friendly, knowing smile.

"Come on in girls." Takuma stepped back, opening the door wider while he ushered them into the room. "What bring you here so early in the day?"

Yuki looked around nervously, blinking when she found that all of Kaname's cohorts were already here. "Are we interrupting something?" She asked shyly.

"I was just explaining some things I learned recently." Kaname said shortly. He wasn't trying to be rude but she had come between him and the mate he wanted. That hadn't been fixed yet. She didn't seem upset though, instead smiling faintly.

"Does it have to do with truebloods and purebloods?" She asked in that same quiet way she'd asked her first question. Kaname looked to her in surprise and she figured she'd guessed correctly. "I saw it in a vision- the talk you two had last night. I had an idea, and from what I can see it will work if everyone cooperates."

Kaname studied the two human girls in his front room. Finally he spoke. "Have a seat you two, you can tell us what this idea is."

Yuki bounced over to an empty chair, dragging Yori along and shoving her into the seat before perching on the arm. "Okay, we had this one idea about how to get you and Zero together but then he started avoiding me and you were mad so that wouldn't work and we couldn't think of something else cause the first plan kept bugging us." Yuki started rambling, hardly realizing that she hadn't paused to breathe yet. "So my new idea is better cause I learned everything that you guys talked about last night..."

Kaname stopped her by raising a hand. "What was your first plan that you couldn't forget?" His eyebrow raised at the two blushing faces. Yori nudged Yuki to explain, she'd just come for moral support. Talking was all up to Yuki...

"Um, well, see... I was gonna get Zero to come to one of the isolated rooms and have a bed there made of an anti-vampire metal in there, cause other wise you two would just break free. Once he was in there, after I knocked him out somehow, I was going to strip him down to his pants and use a collar of the same metal to chain him to the head board. Once he was secured we were going to come get you and tell you something was wrong with Zero. Once you got there we were hoping Yori would be able to use a charm to knock you out and strip you down to your boxers or whatever, then chain you to the bed too. After both of you were trapped on the bed we were going to lock the door and come back the next day..." She was blushing horribly through the whole explanation and couldn't move her eyes from the floor, though she could easily feel all the eyes now fixed on her.

"Why does Kiryu get to keep his pants when Kaname-sama doesn't?" Ruka asked in indignant shock. The girl's blush got impossibly darker.

"Zero doesn't wear underwear..." Yuki muttered, burring her face in her hands. She heard the surprised and speculative whispers around her.

"And how would you know that?" Kaname asked, trying to remain calm. Not an easy task considering the intimate information he'd just gathered in a fairly unpleasant way.

"Look, it's not from personal experience or anything." Yuki said defensively, standing suddenly and beginning to pace. "We lived together for years. Laundry was one of our chores. It's hard not to notice when washing clothes that something like that is missing." She stood in front of the group, realizing that Ruka's face nearly matched her's. Hanabusa and Akatsuki didn't seem phased by the information. Takuma, Senri, and Rima all seemed a bit amused and Kaname looked way too interested in the direction the talk was heading. Yori seemed bored since she had already learned this fact in the initial planning stage.

"So the new plan?" Kaname prompted when it seemed Yuki wasn't going to say anything more. It was just as well she didn't. He didn't want anyone but him to know such intimate facts about the hunter.

"Oh, right!" Yuki nearly shouted, grateful for the change in subject. "Okay, you can get the Council to accept Zero as a pureblood vampire. It won't be easy but it can be done. You have to point out that there aren't a lot of purebloods around and they can't afford to dismiss one though, or they won't do it. The hunters will accept him as a trueblood as well, for the same reason basically. The Chairman is going to see if he can get Master Toga's help for that."

Takuma interrupted her. "Do you know why they don't accept him already?" It was something that they all wondered. After all if they had ordered him to take a mate then they knew what he was right?

Yuki's eyes unfocused as she looked for that answer. It took a few moments but after some time searching she found it. "They don't know he's a trueblood yet. They thought that after he was bitten he couldn't have his Awakening. They don't really trust him since he's been made a vampire, so any special treatment he would have gotten for his blood has been canceled because of that and they don't think him capable of Awakening."

"Just the same, they want him to have children to carry on his line, so wouldn't they be nicer to get him to comply easier?" Takuma pushed, trying to make sense of the hunters' behavior. Hanabusa and Akatsuki both agreed silently to his unspoken reasoning. Zero had taught them a lot about hunter ideals and such but how he was treated was one subject that was never touched.

"They worry." Yuki spoke dully, her head tilting to the side as she fell further into her powers for the answer. She knew she was going to reach her limit soon and would have to stop, but he had a point she wanted to answer first. "They fear that he will sire hunters who are tainted with vampire blood. But they can't afford to let his trueblood line die away completely." The psychic shook herself from her trance and smiled a bit dazedly at the gaping vampires.

"Still doesn't seem right..." Hanabusa muttered, dropping his chin into his palm. He was sitting on a love seat next to his cousin, who he could see was nodding out of the corner of his eye.

"Yea, well, this whole plan only works if we can get Zero to cooperate with us." Yuki said as she walked over and dropped onto the arm of the chair by Yori again.

Kaname nodded before he turned a sly eye to the blond cousins. The two shivered, feeling a sudden chill, before cautiously meeting the pureblood's frighteningly intense stare.

~*O*~

Yay! Another chapter. Please feel free to ask questions. As I said, most everything will be answered in story but you could always find something that isn't, or that I haven't thought of. I encourage active reading. Interaction between the writer and the reader makes for better stories!


	12. Plans Abound

Sorry this has taken so long I've gotten side tracked with another story, Just a Glimpse of Love. And it has consumed me. I have come to the conclusion that I should name my fickle muse- and make him a male fey because they are flighty. And his name shall be... Talaeri- Tal for short... as decided by me and my friend. And I forgot to mention- Takuma did kill his grandfather but didn't try to kill himself along with him- so Sara doesn't have him captured.

**Plans Abound**

Akatsuki stood next to his small cousin in front of Zero's dorm room. He was a bit worried about the little blond, who looked ready to bolt after having been given a private talk with the pureblood. Akatsuki had also been given some time with the powerful vampire, though he didn't seem as bothered. Now they had a new objective to complete. Get Zero to agree to Yuki's plan, which meant revealing himself to all the hunters and vampires. Low chances of success but they were determined to do it. Gathering his courage, Hanabusa lifted his hand to knock on the door.

Much of that courage left when the annoyed silvette opened the door to glare at them. Facing Zero had been easy before but now that he knew the other was a pureblood and a trueblood, it was different. "We don't have to start calling you -sama now do we?" Okay, not the question Hanabusa had wanted to ask but it was one he wanted answered.

Zero arched a brow. "Do that and I'll shoot you." His response got him two small smiles of amusement before the blonds entered his room and he closed the door.

"Good. I was worried for a minute there." Hanabusa said smiling more noticeably. The blue eyed noble sat himself in Zero's desk chair while Akatsuki leaned against the desk beside him. "So Yuki came to have a talk with Kaname-sama today..."

Zero arched a brow at that tid bit of information and went to sit on his bed. "Oh? And what were they talking about?"

"You, of course." Akatsuki chimed in nonchalantly. "They have a plan they want you to agree to. Well, Yuki has a plan."

_Uh-oh... I knew something like this was coming._ Zero thought, holding in a cringe. "And what plan is that?"

"Well basically they want you to tell the Association and Council what you are. Yuki says that they will both accept you because there aren't a lot of purebloods or truebloods around." Hanabusa said twirling the chair around. Akatsuki shook his head at his cousin's childish antics, but he couldn't help smiling at least a little.

Zero was also amused by the small vampire but addressed the matter at hand. "That's it?" He asked skeptically. Neither blond meet his eyes. "Uh-huh... What else is there to this?"

"Well," Hanabusa started before hesitating, technically they weren't supposed to be telling him this part, "Yuki and her friend had a plan to get you and Kaname together but she said that after they accept you as what you are Kaname can take you as his mate. If you agree."

Zero's head tipped back as he stared at the ceiling. Okay, he wasn't so surprised that there had been a conspiracy to get him with the pureblood but he was amazed at the plan and who came up with it. He straightened out to meet the pale blue eyes. "Look, I'll think on it, but I'm not agreeing to anything until I try to bring back Ichiru."

"Fine by us." Akatsuki's nodded and grabbed his cousin. It had been more of an agreement faster than they had expected. Hanabusa pulled on his arm at the door causing him to stall.

"Do you really not wear underwear?" Getting only a glimpse of the horrified look on the silvette's face Akatsuki lifted Hanabusa into his arm before he took off down the hall, hoping to get out of firing range before Zero recovered from the shock.

~*O*~

Kaname raised a brow at Akatsuki and Hanabusa, the taller rubbing his head with a grimace and the shorter holding a book that was the size of a large encyclopedia with a sheepish look. "Had some trouble it seems..." He commented at their behavior.

Hanabusa jumped slightly and looked over to him from where he'd been staring at his cousin. "Um... He said he will think about it but won't agree until after he tries to revive his twin."

"And the book?" The pureblood asked, already expecting Zero's condition for when he'd say yes or no. He'd actually expected an outright rejection and it eased his mood to hear that Zero was considering it.

"Oh, uh..." The small blond looked down at the book with a blush. "Zero threw the book at me but Akatsuki got in the way so it hit his head instead." He wasn't quite sure if he should tell the pureblood why the book had been thrown, since the brunette seemed to be quite possessive but he didn't continue.

"He threw it." Kaname tipped his head debating how important it was for him to know the reason for the violence. Given Zero's usually temperament it could mean nothing but the blush on Hanabusa's face suggested otherwise. Some skeptical looks from the others agreed with his silent assessment. "What would have prompted such a reaction?"

"Ahhh..." Hanabusa hesitated, knowing he needed to answer but afraid of what would happen if he did.

"Hanabusa's mouth went off without thinking again." Akatsuki said, knowing his cousin would say something that would likely get him into deeper trouble. "He'd asked Zero if he really doesn't wear underwear."

Kaname twitched, wanting very much to slap the small blond. Several snickers reminded him that his cohorts were in the room along with the two human girls. Yuki muttered something along the lines of "told you so" before Yori nudged her. Ruka, he noticed, was scowling out the window. Taking a deep breath he told himself that he needed these two for something.

"Since Zero insists on doing something this dangerous, I am making it your duty to be there when he makes his attempt. If he seems to either of you to be going beyond his limits I want you to stop him. I understand that he loves his twin and wants him back but I am not willing to let him kill himself for this. Understood?" Kaname fixed the two blond with a firm stare. It would be their own choice if they let Zero know what they were there to do and why but they _would_ be there regardless.

Akatsuki and Hanabusa nodded knowing that they would also be expected to take care of the hunter, or hunters if it succeeded, after everything was done. Takuma spoke up from his seat by Senri.

"Kaname and I will be going to the Council after Zero makes his try." Senri looked over to the blond with slight worry. He hadn't forgiven his uncle for his part in his father's plan and he didn't trust the Council one bit, so the thought of his lover going there hardly pleased him.

Ruka stared out the window, trying to ignore the conversation going on around her. She was fiercely jealous that her beloved Kaname was pursuing a hunter ex-human- pureblood/trueblood or not that what he was to her. But she knew better than to act on that after hearing what Yuki had done. He loved the human girl more than he cared for her and if he was that cold to Yuki, Ruka didn't want to know how she would be treated.

~*O*~

It was the next day that Zero was informed of Kaname's order for Akatsuki and Hanabusa to be there but he saw the wisdom of the decision. Didn't make him happy that so much was being decided behind his back and without his input and he made sure that the cousins knew his feelings on the matter clearly enough to covey his thoughts to Kaname. The blonds cringed at the thought of their pureblood's reaction but they wouldn't argue with the angry hunter about it. Sharing an exasperated look the two nobles left later that day to pass on the news, both feverishly hoping Kaname believed in a well known human saying. _"Don't shoot the messenger."_

~*O*~

Okay, I know this chapter is short but Tal is not fully cooperating. He wanted to work on Kink Meme a little and we got like half a page done. I flipped a coin to see if Zero succeeded in bringing back Ichiru. He does. That will be in the next chapter.


	13. Rebirthing and Revelations

Okay. I posted this little one-shot called Traditions which explains the Hunter and Vampire societies and such briefly for the sake of those who wish to know what Hanabusa, Akatsuki, and Zero were discussing during their lessons.

I am sososososososo sorry for not getting anything up in recent months but Tal has been running in circles and he wanted to do a Akatsuki x Hanabusa fic (Rimefire) which I have been writing thanks to him. He also wants me to do two Greek Mythology fics (a Apollo x Hermes named Stealing Love, Shooting Dreams, and a currently unnamed Apollo x Hermes x Artemis) that he has been making me write. So I get to type a few sentences on one before he makes me go to the next one... Do you have any idea how difficult it is to type five different stories all at the exact same time?

I would like to thank all of my reviewers, Pixy in particular, for motivating me to get back to writing this story now that Tal has settled down some.

**Rebirthing and Revelations**

The cousins hovered unobtrusively, but still visible, near the edge of the clearing where Zero had carried Ichiru's body. Both watched nervously as the silvette arrange his twin close to the thickest collection of growth and remembered that he would be taking the plants life to replace his brother's. It felt odd to think that he'd be bringing the younger twin back from the dead. It felt even odder to face the fact that they would be watching it. The two vampires weren't sure what to expect but had admitted to the hunter beforehand that they were very curious. The only explanation they received was that they would see how life flows. So now amber and blue eyes stared intently as the silver hunter knelt carefully by his twin and placed one hand over his heart. Their jaws dropped when feathery wings pushed out of Zero's back, tearing through the shirt he hadn't bothered to removed. A quick count revealed eight pure white wings folded loosely against the hunter's back.

A dark shadow enshrouded Ichiru, much to the witnesses' surprise. When Zero's other hand touched the ground a bright mist-like light surrounded the plants around them. The two shifted nervously as the darkness began traveling up Zero's arm to swirl around his body. The light from the plants followed a similar path until the two were twined around him, though the two noticed that they didn't touch. Hanabusa had a split second panic attack when the shadow tried to cover Zero's whole body and the hunter swayed. Akatsuki's hand closed around his arm as the silvette steadied himself and forced the darkness down the arm that the light had traveled up.

He seemed to have an easier time coaxing the light down the opposite arm and around his twin. Once the two were where he needed them to be Zero placed both hands on his twin- one staying over his heart, the other on his forehead. The white mist condensed into his body while a silver violet glow emitted from Zero. Zero's aura pulsed, causing an echoing pulse in the glow in Ichiru. It took a few time for the twins to realize that Zero was doing kind of a spiritual form of CPR. A few more pulses went by before Ichiru's white glow took on a silver blue tint and his body jerked. The vampires couldn't see what Zero did next but both auras flared brightly, temporarily blinding them since they hadn't been warned. When their vision returned Zero- sans wings- was hunched over his brother shaking from exhaustion. The elder Kiryu managed to lift one hand to signal that he was done before he passed out and hit the ground.

"Is that really bad?" Akatsuki asked, scratching his head. He really should have expected the glower Hanabusa gave him before the small blond ran forward to check on the twins. He raced after him while Hanabusa knelt on the ground.

"I can feel both their heartbeats." Hanabusa sat back on his heels as he pondered what to do now. They needed to get the Kiryus back to the academy. It was going to be a bit awkward for the pale blond to carry either of them since Hanabusa was so much smaller, but he was still strong enough to do it. "Which should I carry?"

"Depends." Akatsuki's shoulders shrugged. "Kaname would want me to carry Zero since it would be most comfortable for him. For that same reason Zero would want me to carry Ichiru..." Amber eyes shifted from one twin to the other as he tried to figure out which he should take back.

"Well..." Hanabusa tipped his head to the side while he considered the problem. He check Zero's back for injuries and was not surprised to find none present. At least the wouldn't have to worry about hurting his back, though he planned to interrogate, er, question Zero about the wings later. "Ichiru did just come back from death, so I suppose it would be best if we were more careful with him. And if Kaname gets mad- we'll hide behind Zero."

"Sounds like a plan." Akatsuki tried not to let his smile out in his voice as he bent to help Hanabusa lift the older twin. _Leave it up to Hanabusa to come up with something simple but effective._ He thought wryly as he watched his cousin shift to put Zero in a fireman's carry.

Once the elder twin was situated on Hanabusa's shoulder Akatsuki bent to scoop Ichiru up into his arms, being careful not to shake him around too much. The two had already decided to take to twins to the Chairman's place so that they wouldn't be seen or bothered and using their vampire speed got them to their desitnation quickly. It really shouldn't have surprised them that Toga and Yuki were there with the Chairman but they were caught off guard just the same. Before they had the chance to hesitate Kaien was ushering them into Zero's old room which had an extra bed added to it for his twin. Once the twins were settled into their beds the group collected in the living room, excluding Yuki, who stayed in the bedroom to keep an eye on the twins.

"I have to say, I wasn't sure he could do it." Toga said thoughtfully. "Since he succeeded we have proof that he is a trueblood with the full power of his family. Zero couldn't have brought Ichiru back otherwise."

Kaien nodded, taking this situation seriously. "It will make it easier for us to convince the Association to accept him now. If he had failed it may have been nearly impossible. On a good note, with Ichiru back, they may revoke their order for Zero to take a mate."

"May?" Hanabusa scowled at the two adults. They had wanted Zero to take a mate because they worried about loosing his family line. Well, he was stabilized so he wasn't falling to level D and he'd had his Awakening so he was a trueblood like they wanted. Add to that the fact that Ichiru lived again so there was two Kiryus alive to carry on the line then they shouldn't be worried about the family dying out.

"Well," Kaien shifted uncomfortably, slanting a look at the frowning Toga, "bad as this may sound, Zero has both pureblood and trueblood in him. They may want to... breed him- for lack of a better term."

"_What!_" Hanabusa felt Akatsuki's hands on him, holding him back from doing anything rash. He was a smart individual and at one point- from a scientific point of view- he may have understood that desire. But now that he'd made friends with the hunter he simply couldn't see it.

"As much as it pains me to say it, sometimes the Association can be as ruthless and cold-hearted as the Council at times." Kaien sat back in his chair, despairing at the seeming hopelessness of his vision of peace sometimes looked. "This could be one of those times."

"No." Hanabusa's voice came out with such conviction that both hunters looked at him with wide eyes. He could feel Akatsuki's hand tighten on his arm but he didn't turn to look at him. "If they do not revoke the order, and Zero refuses to be Kaname's mate, I will marry him. They can't order me, and they didn't specify what his mate had to be. He won't be breed for their aims, neither of us would allow it."

"Hana..." Akatsuki's voice faltered while he again processed the thought of loosing his cousin to another. That pain was burning in his chest once more, and he finally had to accept that Hanabusa meant more to him that he'd previously been willing to admit. The strawberry blond wasn't sure when the feelings had started, but the dance had brought them to light.

"I am relieved that you would go to such lengths to help him." Kaien said with a small pleased smile.

"I can agreed to that to some degree, but hopefully it won't be necessary. We should be able to talk them out of that line of thinking." Toga said, somewhat impressed at the small vampire's dedication to Zero.

"Alright." Akatsuki tugged at Hanabusa who nodded at the adults. "We'll go let Kaname know how things went tonight. He and Takuma will need to start planning on how to approach the Vampire Council."

The two cousins left after a few quiet good-byes, both pulling back into their thoughts on the way back to the Moon Dorm. Hanabusa's mind whirled with the different outcomes and how they could be dealt with, determined to help his friend in any way he could. Akatsuki's thoughts revolved around his reactions to Hanabusa's proposal. He seriously needed to deal with what was going on with his feelings- and then let his cousin in on it before he lost him to someone else...

~*O*~

Okay, again- so sorry it took so long. I am _typing_ at least 13 stories and am writing several more at this time, though I am keeping the number of those I post to only a few so that they are easier for me to keep up with. Next chapter will be Zero and Ichiru reconnecting and the rest getting ready to deal with the Council and Association.


	14. Setting the Record Straight

I have been getting help from one of my reviewers, so I would like to thank Pixy for helping me brainstorm and giving me ideas when I needed them.

Finally got something done with this. Tal's been insisting on Rimefire- the good news is that it should be ready to post soon. I also went back and re-read my story and the reviews I've gotten to re-inspire myself into getting more done. Sorry it took so long. Hopefully I'm back in the grove and this won't happen again with this story.

I don't know how I would involve any Rido with anyone... Unless Kaname has a flashback of walking in on his uncle and chosen lover... Poor, poor Kaname...

**Setting the Record Straight**

Hanabusa snuggled deeper into the warmth around him, not quite ready to wake. It had been a somewhat tense meeting with Kaname, who had wanted to go see Zero immediately. They, thankfully, talked him out of it and convinced him to wait until Zero had awakened to go visit. Sleep had been quick to come when he'd finally gotten to settle down and he didn't want to let it go. The small blond breathed deep, taking in the familiar scent that reminded him of sunshine and incense. A slight frown marred his lips when it occurred to him that the scent was closer than it should have been. Waking more than he wanted to, Hanabusa felt warmth around him, arms encircling his waist. Blue eyes blinked open to find a chest in front of him that had not been there when he'd gone to bed.

"I was wondering when you'd wake." Akatsuki's voice drew his eyes up to the other's face, but didn't explain what his cousin was doing in his bed.

_Am I awake?_ Hanabusa wondered, blinking owlishly in confusion at his cousin. It wouldn't be the first time he'd dreamed the other noble into his bed- though his dreams had never felt this real. He couldn't be sick and hallucinating with a fever could he? Aido didn't recall doing anything that could make him sick. Except testing the blood pills. He'd been using them personally before giving any to Zero to try. Obviously he'd need to retest the new formula and check for adverse affects.

"Hanabusa?" Akatsuki's eyebrow raised as his small cousin stared at him with wide unfocused eyes. He had wondered how the other would react to finding him in his bed, but he couldn't tell if this reaction counted as positive or negative.

"I think I might be dizzy." Hanabusa confessed with a confused frown.

Kain tipped his head and raised an eyebrow. "You're laying down Hana. How can you be dizzy?"

"Well," the small noble squirmed in embarrassment, certain his cousin was not going to like his admission, "I've been testing the blood pills on myself for adverse effects." He ignored the strangled noise Akatsuki made and continued on. "You know we've become friends with Zero and Kaname-sama obviously cares about what happens to him. So I decided to test them personally before giving them to him for use."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? What would I have done if something went wrong? I wouldn't have been able to help because I wouldn't have known what was wrong!" Akatsuki found his mind in that familiar place, torn between wanting to hold Hanabusa close to keep him safe and wanting to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense into the little blue eyed noble. "What were you thinking?"

Hanabusa blushed, averting his eyes as he debated between snuggling closer or moving away from Akatsuki. He was fairly certain that going back to sleep wasn't an option right now. "Of Zero's safety..." Which was not a lie. He really hadn't thought what his cousin would do if something happened to him. He'd been confident that he had finally perfected the formula so there would be no side effects but he was no fool to go without at least giving it a brief test period.

Akatsuki resisted the urge to facepalm at his cousin's answer. He should have expected something like that from Hanabusa when he had asked. Sighing he got out of bed before turning back and picking up the little blond. Carrying the other over to the corner they had set up for working on th pills and testing the effects, he couldn't help but think sulkily that this was not how he'd hoped to spend the morning.

~*O*~

Ichiru woke to find himself in a bed tucked into the corner of a room. Across the room, on the other side of a window was another bed. Pale blue-violet eyes rested on the sleeping form. _Zero_. The last thing he remembered was telling his twin to take his blood. He'd hoped that he still had enough of Shizuka's blood to stabilize him. Obviously he'd died. Which meant that Zero had brought him back. But why? After all that had happened he would have thought his older brother wanted nothing more to do with him. How long ago had he died?

"How are you feeling?"

The younger twin jumped at the sound of Zero's voice and idlely wondered how long he'd been staring without seeing. "I'm disoriented but fine other wise. How long was I dead?"

"Couple months." Zero struggled into a sitting position and turned to face Ichiru while he leaned against the wall.

"So long. " The hunter was stunned by that feat of skill and power. "And you still risked bringing me back?" Ichiru mimicked Zero's actions, as he'd often done when they were children.

"You are my twin, my family. You are all I have left. And I suppose I never really wanted to believe you betrayed us."Zero tilted his head and studied the younger Kiryu. "What happened that night?"

"Well, when I got out of bed that night I overheard mom and dad talking about separating us. I was upset about it. You remember how close we were- they knew it too, but they wouldn't let it stop them. While I was trying to figure out how to stop them I... well I thought I heard a whisper or something outside- the window was open- so I climbed out onto the roof to hear better. She was sitting there in the tree." Ichiru looked down to the sheets, reliving the whole night as Zero must have so many times before. He'd always managed to repress that memory, but he was sure his twin hadn't.

"So she controlled you?" Zero knew some vampires were capable of such things and he desperately hoped that was the case.

"No exactly. It would be more accurate to say she mentally manipulated me." Ichiru lifted his eyes to meet his brother's. "She took my feeling and thoughts and pushed them to an extreme. Irrational as it was, I believed that getting rid of them meant that nothing would be able to take you away from me. A total lie obviously. I haven't even seen you since then. But..." He trailed off helplessly. How could he put all the twisted things that had happened in his mind into words. Arms around him jolted him from his thoughts. Once again he'd been staring without seeing and Zero had moved over to hug him.

"It's alright. I get the gist of what she did." Zero sighed in relief when Ichiru's arms wrapped around him. It had been so long since the two of them had been like this. Reluctantly he slipped away and shifted to sit next to the younger boy on the bed.

"So tell me what's been going on." A slight turn was all it took for them to be facing each other.

"Well. I'm a Kiryu Trueblood and a Hio Pureblood, since I was turned and stabilized when my Awakening happened."

"No way! That's awesome." A pause. "Mine never occurred..." A slight frown marred Ichiru's face when he thought about it.

"Maybe because you weren't in direct danger?" Zero couldn't be sure, but it was the only thing he could think of for why it hadn't happened.

"Makes sense. Sorry for interrupting." The younger gave a wave of his hand in a 'please continue' kind of way. He got an amused smile for that action but Zero got back to it anyways.

"Right. Um, the Association has demanded that I take a mate." He winced in memory and in anticipation of his twin's reaction.

_"WHAT!"_ Ichiru was outraged. All hunters knew the importance of love. For them to demand something like that was beyond abhorrent.

"They don't know I've Awakened." A feeble attempt to calm the raging Kiryu but he tried anyways. There wasn't much that could be done just yet in any case. A few things needed to be dealt with first.

"That's no excuse for treating a Hunter that way and you know it!" Far from being appeased, Ichiru was practically shaking with suppressed anger but he took a deep breath and attempted to let it go for now.

"Kaname is planning to court me." _That should get his mind off of it._ Zero thought with a mental sigh. He knew his twin would take the bait but he didn't like putting it out there.

"Say what?" There was no way he'd heard that right.

"I'm not repeating that." Zero avoided the violet-blue eyes that he knew were staring at him. While doing so he added another name to his list of people who could make him feel self-conscious with nothing more than an intense look. It annoyed him that anyone was capable of that really.

Ichiru stared blankly at Zero while he tried to assimilate that information. Zero shifted uncomfortably while his twin remained unresponsive. If that fact broke his brother's brain he was blaming the pureblood for it...

"Well... That'll be fun... and interesting... and highly amusing to watch..." Ichiru finally decided. He would have continued but Zero glared at him for his freely offered opinion.

"Don't go getting any ideas for this. I'm not even entirely sure I want him as a mate." It was the truth, Zero was sure of it. Then he thought about the kiss in the vision and how much he wanted it. Well, okay, so it was maybe just a tiny lie. But Ichiru didn't need to know that. He remembered his twin's wicked streak too well to give him such an opening. "So when we recover enough to get out of bed I can start your Awakening. Then when Cross and Master Toga go to the Association they can confirm that there are two Kiryu Truebloods and hopefully get them to revoke that order for me to breed."

"I _still_ can't believe they did that." Ichiru grumbled to himself. He lifted a hand to rub at his eyes tiredly. "Anything else?"

"Yea. Yuki's going to be the one cooking so... It'll taste awful, but try to be somewhat nice about it. She's really worried about us." Zero stood up and walked over to his own bed, flopping down and getting ready to go back to sleep.

Ichiru laid back down as well, looking over one more time before closing his eyes. Shizuka may have lied to him all those years ago and manipulated him since into believe he was doing what was best for his twin, but maybe they would come out of this better off than he had ever dreamed possible.

~*O*~

Senri sat curled against the headboard of his bed, munching pocky, as Takuma packed a bag in anticipation of his trip to the Council since Zero had survived the reviving of Ichiru. He tried to remain indifferent to what was coming, really he did, but after the whole episode with his father taking over his body it wasn't working. The blond had risked a lot to keep his body safe while Rido used him. Though that wasn't why he'd gone to the dance with the taller vampire. He'd done it because the event had made him realize how much the noble meant to him as a friend. And maybe as something more.

"Okay, clothes- check. Toothbrush and toothpaste- check. Cellphone- check. Manga- check." Takuma looked around the room after zipping the bag closed and setting it next to the briefcase of papers he'd need at the meeting. "Did I miss anything?"

Vivid green eyes meet pale blue and Senri decided to do something impulsive for once. "Yes." He answered getting up and walking over.

"What am I forgetting?" The blond asked with worry. They couldn't mess this up, too much was riding on it.

"A good-bye kiss for luck." A small pale hand cupped the back of the blond's neck and pulled him down for a gentle meeting of lips. Slow and careful, but nowhere near chaste. A few moments later he released the tall noble and stepped back. A smirk tugging at his lips when green eyes blinked open dazedly.

"Right." A call from outside the room had him reaching for his luggage. Before leaving he turned back and gave the small brunette a stern look. "This will be discussed when I return. Don't think I'll let you just walk away like nothing happened..."

Senri gave a nod of acknowledgement as his room mate exited and only once he was gone did he allow the full extent of his actions to penetrate his mind. He ended up standing stunned and blushing at himself. That was how Rima found him ten minutes later when she breezed in to find out why he hadn't come to meet her in the library like they'd planned.

"He finally made a move on you?" The blond female guessed upon discovering her friend and fellow model.

"No." He got his voice working again, though it was filled with disbelief. "I made one on him!"

Rima couldn't help it- she laughed at her companion and his reaction to his own actions. When she was done she was going to have to sit him down and ask for details but for now she was busy trying to keep her sides from breaking.

~*O*~

Okay. Not much considering how long it's been since I last updated but I am happy to finally be writing on this again. This story feels like my baby sometimes and I miss it- which is odd to think about but I don't mind.


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